[Pokémon] Mentor (PG-14)

[Daeva]

Whoa! :D
I joined the forum about one week ago, and I've spent my time well, reading this story (though I was so into the reading I skipped most other comments). o_o

I really like the story and I'm curious to read the continue! Very, very good job! I also have a lot of predictions about what's gonna happen, but since I havn't taken my time to read others predictions and thoughts, my ones have to wait until later.

(I'm actually aiming at writing a fan-fic myself, but I'll wait until I'm completely familiar with the forum :] )

and.. again... Really good job! ^o^

 

[pikakip]

COMMENT TIME!~
Agh it feels good to be back- and to be reading this again.

I loved the power plant arc (Ashley was like the Ally/Ed stand-in, which made it feel like they weren't even gone) I found the part with the pikachu(Plural) great, and it added a slight cuteness to the chapter.

I didn't like Chandelle at all. I Just didn't like her personality. And she didn't win points for selling her shiny poochyena. That's just cold. Still, just because I don't like her doesn't mean she wasn't a well designed character. She had depth and a past, And you really got a good look into who she is as a person.

But enough of my redundancy.

I loved the most recent chapter! The rapid pace made it enjoyable, it had the perfect amount of violence, It gave us some insight into team rocket's current objectives and Ed gained the power of a Plate! And it was the ghost Plate too. o_o....I wonder what it does exactly......? I was upset to read that the Marowak died(It IS one of my favorite pokemon after all.) I wonder what's going to happen to ally? I'm not that worried, because you said she wasn't dead, but i'm still curious...

Leah better hurry up and get to Lavender though.....

also:
I STILL WANT MAH SANDS BACK!-But it's good to see that he's progressing :)


Oh:

"We're just taking a peak."

It shouldn't be peak, it should be peek.

and...

It was not a present sound,

I think you meant Pleasant.

last but not least,

Her starting to glow green, Marowak lunged, wielding her weapon like a club.

I'm not sure what you intended for that to say...
Maybe: She started to glow green, then Marowak lunged, wielding her weapon like a club.


And that's it!

 

[Dagzar]

Whoa!
I joined the forum about one week ago, and I've spent my time well, reading this story (though I was so into the reading I skipped most other comments). o_o

I'm glad you're liking the story, Daeva!

(I'm actually aiming at writing a fan-fic myself, but I'll wait until I'm completely familiar with the forum :] )

Good luck on your fanfic and when you post it, make sure to message me so I can review it! ^_^

COMMENT TIME!~
Agh it feels good to be back- and to be reading this again.

Thanks for reviewing, Pikakip!

I didn't like Chandelle at all. I Just didn't like her personality. And she didn't win points for selling her shiny poochyena. That's just cold. Still, just because I don't like her doesn't mean she wasn't a well designed character. She had depth and a past, And you really got a good look into who she is as a person.

Chandelle is a pretty cold person and it's not surprising that not many people like her. If I met her on the street, I doubt I'd like her either. Though, while I didn't really go into it in-story (I probably will later), Chandelle's reason for selling the Poochyena is a bit more complicated than she just wanted money (that's all I can say about it).

I loved the most recent chapter! The rapid pace made it enjoyable, it had the perfect amount of violence, It gave us some insight into team rocket's current objectives and Ed gained the power of a Plate! And it was the ghost Plate too. o_o....I wonder what it does exactly......? I was upset to read that the Marowak died(It IS one of my favorite pokemon after all.) I wonder what's going to happen to ally? I'm not that worried, because you said she wasn't dead, but i'm still curious...

Just a minor note, Ed didn't gain the power of the Ghost Plate. The Plate just does that to everyone who's in close contact when it's 'uncovered'. Heh, you'll find out more of the Plate's powers later. Ally's taking a break from the story for a while until I get things in motion. Then, things will get interesting. ;)

I'm not sure what you intended for that to say...
Maybe: She started to glow green, then Marowak lunged, wielding her weapon like a club.

Whoops, that's an embarrassing mistake. -.- I'll fix those~

 

[Dagzar]

Mentor

Chapter 50: Lavender Town​

-



"There're not here?" Leah said, hardly able to believe it.

"I'm sorry, but they left last night," the nurse replied.

"They checked out?"

The nurse checked the computer and looked puzzled.

"No, they haven't."

Leah frowned. "Do you know where they went?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't."

"Thanks, then."

Walking away from the front desk, Leah put her hands in her pockets, trying to keep a worried expression off her face.

Ed and Ally were missing. That wasn't the news that she wanted to hear as soon as she got to the Pokemon Center. She had been expecting to run into them immediately and for them to bombard her with questions on why she was there. They weren't supposed to have disappeared last night. It was nearing dinner time so that meant that Ed and Ally hadn't been seen for almost a day.

Leah was so wrapped up in her thoughts she nearly walked past Chandelle, who had been waiting near the stairs.

"Do you have the key?" the long-haired girl asked, uncrossing her arms.

"We're on the first floor," Leah said, handing it over.

It wasn't a long walk to their room, but to Leah, it felt like forever.

Obviously, Ed and Ally had gone out to catch ghost Pokemon and something must have happened. Maybe the ghost Pokemon were too powerful; she didn't know. And that was the problem. Leah had been separated from the two kids for nearly two weeks and they had already gotten themselves into trouble. She had always been under the assumption that she had been cursed with bad luck, but apparently she must have contaminated Ed and Ally with it.

… She made jokes, but it still didn't lift her unease. A lot could happen in a day.

Chandelle opened the door of their room and Leah took in the standard Pokemon Center room (two beds pushed against the wall on either side of the room, drawer in-between them, desk near the door). Throwing her backpack against the bed to the left, Leah collapsed on top of the mattress without even taking off her shoes.

Her eyes were closed, but she could still hear Chandelle unpacking.

The quiet was starting to get on Leah's nerves. She had spent the last three days in the presence of Ashley, who had rarely shut up, and now that the blond had left it was odd to sit in silence. Not that Ashley would be gone for long. As soon as they got into town, the small girl had separated from them to go looking for her parents, though promised to meet back up with them later.

"What's wrong?"

Leah opened an eye to see Chandelle sitting on the bed and facing her, frowning.

It took a moment for Leah to process the question. After all, it wasn't everyday that Chandelle actually asked her something.

Sighing, Leah kicked off her shoes. "Some kids I used to travel with are supposed to be here," she said, "but they left last night without checking out and haven't come back."

"How old are they?"

"Ten." Leah paused. "Well, one of them is ten, the other's eleven."

"Oh."

Chandelle resumed packing.

Turning over and propping herself up on her elbows, Leah scowled at the continued silence. "What?" she pressured.

"Do they disappear like that often?" Chandelle asked.

"No."

Chandelle went quiet again and Leah was about to call her out on it when she said, "… If they don't come back soon, you might want to call the police."

The police were the last people Leah wanted to see.

"The police? Why?"

"Pokemon or not, walking around at night in an unfamiliar town is never the best idea." Chandelle picked up one of her nightgowns. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Hold on, wait!" Leah said, sitting up and stopping the long-haired girl in her tracks. "You can't just leave me with a statement like that! What do you mean?"

Hesitating, Chandelle once again sat opposite of Leah.

"When I was twelve and a regular trainer, I went to Veilstone City," she started. "I was exploring, as I always did in a new city when I lost track of time and it got dark. I became lost and wandered near the warehouse district when I was… accosted by two strange men. I only had one Pokemon on me at the time, my Gastrodon. Do you know what a Gastrodon is?"

"… A dinosaur Pokemon?"

Chandelle looked amused. "No, not at all. A Gastrodon is a water-ground-type native to Sinnoh. They are basically slugs." Her smile faded. "I attempted to fight off the men, but my Gastrodon was both too slow and inexperienced to fight their Pokemon off."

"Why didn't you just run?"

"There was no where to run to." She coughed. "I was also spirited as a child; running never entered my mind in those situations. Unable to fight and unable to run, what do you think I, a twelve-year-old girl, did against two adult men?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Nothing. I did nothing."

"… What did they do to you?" Leah said, fearing the answer.

"You don't need to look horrified," Chandelle told her sharply. "They took my Gastrodon and all the money I had on me. After that, I flagged down a car and got directions back to the Pokemon Center. That experience taught me never to travel or explore at night unless in a large group."

"You're saying that my friends might have gotten mugged?"

"It's very possible. When you're a trainer, you will at least experience something like I did once."

"But my friends have strong Pokemon." Leah just couldn't see Pokemon like Amber losing in some random battle.

"Everyone has Pokemon. Your friends are children. Anyone older could have had Pokemon for years."

Chandelle stood up. "Now, I'm taking a shower."

Ignoring the click of the bathroom door and the sound of the shower turning on, Leah turned back to her thoughts, already regretting asking Chandelle to explain. She had been worried about wild Pokemon getting the best of the brats, but humans?

That wasn't something she wanted to think about.


-


After Leah had her own shower and finished eating dinner, she dragged Chandelle to watch television in the lobby. She refused to spend the rest of the evening sitting in her room doing nothing and since Chandelle didn't seem to have anything planned, it was only fitting that the older girl joined her.

"Where is everyone?" Leah asked as she grabbed the remote off the table. There were usually wars fought over the remote in every Pokemon Center she had been to. It was the first time she was able to touch one.

Chandelle didn't look up from the book she was reading. "It's late in the year; most trainers go home at this time."

"They do?"

"It's foolish to travel in winter."

Leah guessed that made sense. Which brought up the question what she was going to do. There was no point in going back to Pallet Town if she could just stay at a Pokemon Center. While her grandmother was usually home for the holidays, it was only for three weeks- then she'd be off to Indigo leaving Leah alone again.

"What do you do in winter? Go back to Sinnoh?" Leah was curious. It was hard to picture the cold and aloof girl going back home to family and enjoying their company. It just didn't click.

"Not this year. It's too far away."

"Can't you just teleport?"

Chandelle shook her head. "Teleporting can be dangerous over a large distance. I'm more likely to overshoot my mark or teleport into a solid object."

"Then what are you going to do this year?"

The long-haired girl sighed, folding the edge of her page when she realized that Leah didn't feel like shutting up. "I have family living in Fuchsia," she said. "I'll be joining them this year."

"Is that why you're in Lavender?" Leah asked. "Because you're going to Fuchsia?"

Chandelle put down her book and didn't answer.

"Is it?"

"… It's not something I can speak about."

"Oh, come on. I've been travelling with you for, like, a week." Leah sighed. "Not even a hint?"

"You wouldn't want to know," Chandelle said with no doubt in her voice.

"You're so sure?"

Chandelle did something strange: she smiled. "You're having problems with the police, correct?" she said.

"What?" Leah did have problems with the police back in Cerulean, but that felt like weeks ago. She never wanted to see them, but that didn't mean she was having problems.

"You seem strangely avoidant of them," Chandelle continued and met Leah's eyes. "If you get involved with me, there is a chance you will get involved with them."

Leah's eyes darted around, looking for any people close by before she leaned in and asked Chandelle, "Are you doing something illegal?"

"I am not stealing or killing anyone," she replied, not bothering to whisper. "But you could call it that, yes."

"… All right, keep what you know to yourself," Leah said, wiping her hands of the issue. If there's one thing she wasn't going to do, it was get involved with something illegal. "You know, you could have told me that when I first asked then I would have left it alone."

"I am not telling things like that to a stranger."

Suddenly, the remote was plucked from Leah's hand, and she whipped her head around, getting a face full of a grinning blond.

"Hey!" Ashley greeted, leaping over the back of the couch and getting comfy in the small space between Leah and Chandelle.

Leah moved over. She would have been madder at loosing some couch space, but was too busy mentally chucking at the un-amused expression on Chandelle's face as Ashley got off her lap.

"Where'd you come from?" Leah asked.

The blond flipped through channels at a breakneck speed, eyes sorely on the television. "Just got here!" she said, finally turning away from it.

"I thought you went to go see your parents."

Ashley shrugged. "Couldn't find them."

It took a moment for Leah to process that.

"How can you not find them?"

Shrugging again, Ashley asked, "What channel are the Indigo League reruns on again? Can't remember."

Leah refused to be distracted. "Did you check your house?"

"Wasn't there," she said. "And the doors were locked."

"Did you try calling them?"

"They don't have cell phones."

Leaning back into the cushion, Leah sighed. "So, you're locked out of your own house and you can't get in touch with your parents?"

"Mmm, my dad's window was open," Ashley reluctantly parted with, "but there's no way I'm going back there for the night."

"Why not?"

Ashley huffed. "I'd be alone! That's creepy." She averted her eyes. "And, well, since I'm going to be a trainer anyway, I'm just going to stay here."

"You were at the Pokemon Center at Rock Tunnel just fine," Leah said.

"Yeah, but there was a bunch of people there! There'd be no one at Dad's house except for Zu-Zu."

"How did you stay at the Pokemon Center?" Chandelle asked, looking over. "I doubt you have a trainer card."

"Mom talked to one of the people in charge there to let me stay in a room."

"Then how are you going to stay here?"

Ashley plastered on a smile. "Well, you guys have a room, right?"

As soon as the thought of Ashley staying with them ran through her head, Leah said, "There's only two beds."

"Just give me a blanket and pillow and I'll be fine," the blond said. "I swear I'll be quiet. Pleeeeease?"

When both of the older girls' expression didn't change, Ashley added, "I don't want to sleep outside and it's too late for me to walk back home. I don't have anywhere else to go."

While Leah really didn't feel like sharing her already small room, she didn't want to turn Ashley away either. Maybe if she was older Leah wouldn't feel any guilt about banishing her to sleep on the lobby couch, but she was just a kid; a secretive kid that shouldn't have followed them back to Lavender anyways.

Leah looked at Chandelle.

"What do you think?"

The long-haired girl was silent, finally saying, "Only if she's quiet."

Ashley's face lit up. "Yes! Don't worry! You'll hardly notice me! I promise!"


-


"I'm noticing you," Leah said, opening one eye.

In the darkness of the room, the shifting stopped.

"Sorry," Ashley whispered, "but there's not much room on the floor." In the smallest amount of moonlight that shone through the blinds and the green glow of the clock, Leah could see the blond attempt an awkward smile. "I thought I'd have more."

There was no point in pretending to go back to sleep, so Leah said, "Maybe you would if you didn't have a separate pillow for your Zubat."

Leah never knew that Zubat could sleep like a normal mammal, but there it was, sprawled out on a small pillow as it slept.

"Zu-Zu always sleeps with me! It's how we roll. Right, Zu-Zu?"

The bat didn't answer, which spared Leah the pain of being waked up entirely instead of the drowsy state she was in.

"Be quiet," Chandelle hissed from the other bed.

Ashley ducked her head. "Sorry!"

Hearing Ashley make a small sigh as she tried to get back to sleep, Leah copied the younger girl's motion and closed her eyes.

However, sleep didn't come. It rarely did on the first night of a new Pokemon Center. While her body was protesting being awake, her mind wasn't shutting up. It kept throwing ideas and worries her way now that it finally had her all to itself. Even then, she had trouble sleeping ever since the first day of her journey. No matter how much she was used to it, all the travelling wasn't good for her nerves and that wasn't even mentioning the adventures that haunted her dreams.

Nighttime was Leah's least favorite times of day. In the day it was very easy to push worries aside, but at night they all piled down on her, pleading for attention.

Ed and Ally's disappearance just added to the list.

Where had they gone? They had been officially missing for a day now and the clock kept ticking. Did they really get mugged like Chandelle was? That was probably the worst case scenario. Because if that happened then Leah was already too late. She couldn't rewind time and help them. Whether their Pokemon was stolen, or the two of them were in the hospital (or worse), they were out of her reach.

Maybe she was just making a big deal out of things. Maybe they got distracted and wandered far enough away from town that they had to camp out for a night. Or maybe they just forgot to check out- Yeah, forgetting to check out would be a good answer. That was safe and a bit humorous and the only thing it would do was make her worry.

Of course, there was always the option that they had been attacked. And not mugged, too. Attacked as in fighting for their lives, not their possessions.

Blue had attacked her only a few weeks ago. She had gotten away, thank god, but what was stopping him from going after Ed and Ally? When they were on the S. S. Anne, she remembered him mentioning Ed. Not his name, but it still meant he remembered him and knew who she travelled with. So, what if he thought she was still travelling with them, and followed them to Lavender Town? What would he do to two children, who were alone and practically defenseless at night, when the person he was targeting wasn't there?

It could make him frustrated and make him take it out on them. But as much as Leah could imagine it, she knew nothing about Blue and what he did. Maybe he didn't go after kids? But she was only fifteen and he had no qualms about sending a Scyther after her.

Blue was pretty much the reason most of her journey had been so bad. While the Seafoam Island thing could be put off as an accident, he had ruined the S. S. Anne trip, and tried to assassinate her. Judging by all that it wouldn't be a surprise if he was behind Ed and Ally's disappearance too.

If that was true, if Blue did target them as well as her, what was she supposed to do? She was a day late if anything had happened. All she could do was survey the aftermath and try to pick up any pieces.

Either way, she couldn't do anything tonight. Not while she was comfy and cozy in bed. First thing tomorrow she would look for Ed and Ally- all day if she had to. She wasn't leaving Lavender Town until she found them or at least what happened to them. Saffron and Danny could wait.

Leah's thoughts drifted as sleep started to work its magic.

However, just when she was sure she was about to leave the waking world behind, a sigh caught her attention. Her eyes were too heavy to open them, but she could hear Ashley yawn and turn over. Then there was another sigh, louder than a normal one was, and it dragged Leah from the depths of sleep, slapping her mind awake.

The frustration of being denied sleep only made her more awake. She pulled her blanket up to her neck, letting part of it sit over her ear, but as the minutes passed, it didn't help. She was so relaxed that not even the smallest sound could escape her attention.

Finally, when sleep seemed farther away than ever, she used most of her strength to open her eyes to look down at Ashley. The blond was laying on her back, the only movement being the rise and fall of her chest. Just when Leah was about to close her eyes again, Ashley turned onto her side and curled her legs closer to her body.

"Can't sleep?" Leah whispered.

The girl froze, and then looked up at her. "I guess I'm just not tired," she whispered.

"Want another blanket?"

Leah wasn't going to get up and get one, but she was sure she could live without one of her own.

However, Ashley only sighed in her pillow. "… It's okay."

"Maybe another pillow?"

"No, I don't need those. I just… can't sleep."

"Just close your eyes and you'll get to sleep eventually."

"I'm trying. It's not working."

Ashley kicked back her covers and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm getting a drink of water," she said.

The blond stood, and Leah shut her eyes for the inevitable blinding. Luckily, Ashley was smart as she closed the bathroom door behind her before turning on the light. The faucet was turned on, water hit the sink, the light turned off, and then Ashley came back out. She padded over to her makeshift bed and glanced at it before kneeling before Leah's bed.

"Leah," she said, her breath brushing the older girl's face. "Do a lot of trainers sleep on the couches downstairs?"

"Yeah," Leah replied, thinking of all people at the Cinnabar Pokemon Center, the busiest place she had ever been to. While Vermillion and Cerulean weren't as busy, she still remembered seeing people curled up on couches and benches. "But," she added, "This place seems emptier than usual. I'm not sure there's anyone sleeping in the lobby."

Ashley glanced at the door.

"I don't want to go out there if no one's going to be there."

Sleep wasn't going to come as long as Ashley was awake, Leah could see that now. Since the trek from Rock Tunnel to Lavender wasn't that far, this was the first night they had spent together. And thank god too if she was having that much trouble sleeping. Ed and Ally were always asleep as soon as they laid down and if Chandelle had problems getting to sleep she didn't show it

And really, Leah wanted to go to sleep. Especially if she was going to need to energy to look for Ed and Ally.

Leah raised her head, looked at her own bed as best as she could, and then asked Ashley, "Do you want to share my bed? I have room."

Putting a hand on the bed, Ashley hesitated.

'Take the offer, stop whining, and let me sleep,' Leah mentally said.

"… Are you sure?" the blond asked.

"Yeah."

She scooted over and Ashley climbed onto the empty space. The bed wasn't made for two people, but since the girl was so small, they were able to squeeze together without a single limb hanging off the bed.

Ashley let out one final sigh as she became comfortable. Though, despite her squirming attempts to give Leah some space, her body was pressed against hers and her face was even closer than before.

"I haven't done this in a long time."

"What, sleep in someone else's bed?" Leah asked, wondering if she should turn over to face the wall. She didn't like being this close to someone.

"Yeah."

Ashley closed her eyes.

Leah thought the girl had fallen asleep and a felt a spark of annoyance at getting to sleep so easily, but then the blond said in a low voice, "I used to climb into my parents bed all the time."

It was probably the most private thing Ashley had ever said to her and that was saying something considering that Leah had only confirmed that she had two parents that evening.

"What changed?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said you hadn't done it in a while."

"It started to get embarrassing," Ashley whispered. "One of my classmates found out and she told the entire school. Everyone laughed at me. So I stopped."

Leah had many memories of when she was little, but she couldn't recall her friends or classmates acting like that. They could be immature at times, but never… bullying. And even then, why make fun of someone for something that most kids did? Isn't that what kids do? Go to their parents for comfort at night or when they couldn't get to sleep? Maybe the times were changing and kids were growing up quicker, but five years wasn't that long of a time.

Ashley had fallen silent and Leah wondered whether to say anything. It was a pretty private thing the girl had just told her and she hardly need to prompt her. Should she say something back?

But before Leah could say anything, Ashley asked, "Did you ever sleep in your parent's bed?"

"I can't remember."

The blond's reply had a note of depression behind it.

"Oh."

Closing her eyes, Leah rearranged, "I probably did, but my parents… they past away before I was eight."

Ashley made a tiny gasp and shifted closer to the older girl as if trying to comfort her.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's okay," Leah said, biting back a yawn. "I don't really remember them, anyway."

Though sometimes she would have liked to.

Even with their recent conversation buzzing around her mind, Leah could feel sleep closing in.

"Good night," she said.

"Night…"

And then Leah fell asleep


-


It didn't even feel like a few minutes later until a hand was roughly shaking her and a voice yelling in her ear.

"What?" Leah asked, hardly comprehending what was going on.

"Wake up!"

Being the rebel that she was, she discarded the order and drifted off again.


-


The splash of water was like a slap to the face.

Leah opened her eyes, nearly having a heart attack seeing Ashley standing over her. The blond's face was pale, her body trembling as her eyes kept darting to the door.

"I'm sorry about the water," Ashley whispered, "but you wouldn't wake up…"

Nothing could go back to sleep after water had been thrown onto them so Leah sat up, keeping the blankets over her cold legs. She looked around, noticing the world outside the room's window was still dark. Taking a glance at the clock, she winced at the time. It was three in the morning; way too early to be up.

Then, Leah finally became aware of it. She didn't know how she missed it before.

There was screaming come from downstairs. There was only one voice making it, obviously a man's despite how shrill it was.

"What's going on?" Leah asked, grabbing her Poke Balls off the table and standing.

Ashley crossed her arms, trying to control her shivering.

"I don't know… He just started screaming a few minutes ago. He still hasn't stopped!"

"Obviously," Leah muttered. She went over to the door, keeping both of her Poke Balls in one hand.

"Don't open the door!"

Leah spared the blond a glare, not having time for that. Ignoring the intake of breath behind her, she opened the door and peaked down the hall. She could see lights on from the other doors and other heads head poking out. Some of said heads were yelling at each other and all she could get out of it was that they had no clue on what was going on.

She looked back at Ashley and the shadowy figure of Chandelle that was sitting silently on her bed.

"Stay here," Leah said, trying to calm her nerves. "I'll go check it out."

Not waiting for a reply, she left the door open as she left, and strode down the hall, trying to keep her head held high. Her pajama pants flapped at her heels and the heads quieted as she walked past, their gazes following her.

She really didn't need to check it out herself, but she wouldn't feel safe until she knew the cause of the noise.

Suddenly, a pounding of footsteps came towards her and Leah turned, catching Ashley's eye. The blond took a few deep breaths, steadying the Zubat on her shoulder, and took a place beside her. They didn't say anything to each other, though Leah felt a bit of relief that she wouldn't have to go investigate by herself, even if her backup was a kid.

The lobby was completely empty by the time they got there. It seemed that Leah was the only one stupid enough to follow such a sound. The screaming was much louder by then and it made Leah want to curl up under a blanket somewhere. She had never heard such blood-curdling sounds in her life.

Ashley, while having enough courage not to grab onto Leah's shirt, stayed behind the older girl as they walked closer to the front doors of the Pokemon Center.

In all the Pokemon Centers Leah had been too, the layout was generally the same. Front desk, couches, big-screen television, and a glass door. It was the last point that she both blessed and cursed at that moment. She wouldn't have to go through the trouble of unlocking and opening the front door without knowing what was on the other side, but she could see the cause the screaming immediately.

She really wished she hadn't.

The man was pressed against the glass, fists pounding on the door. He was wearing all black and his clothes were ripped and torn like he had been out in the wilderness for days. His mouth was opening and closing, the only sound issuing forth being a scream or a yell.

It wasn't the man that was the problem. It was the thing eating his head that was the cause of all this.

It was like a small monster of smoke, black and shapeless, and it surrounded the top of the man's head. Blood ran down his hair and face, and marks of red stained the glass doors, the man having pounded on the door too hard and too long.

Leah wanted to ask why the man didn't just bang his head against the glass to kill the creature on it. It didn't look like a ghost, but if it was doing something like eating him, then of course the ghost would be physical enough to get hurt by that, right?

However, when she tried to talk, no words came out of her mouth. Her mind was working perfectly, but her body still wanted to be elsewhere.

Ashley had abandoned any attempts of courage and was hiding her face against Leah's back. In-between the screaming, Leah could hear other voices behind her as more people braved the sound and came to see what was going on.

It felt like minutes later when she was finally broken out of her shocked state. A voice rose above the screaming as a boy looking just out of high school stood by Leah and yelled at the onlookers, "Hey, why's everyone just standing around? Help him!"

The boy approached the door, throwing a Poke Ball before him.

"Go, Charmeleon!"

The lizard Pokemon, orange scaled with a tale tipped with flame, stood to the side as the boy fiddled with locks on the front door.

"Zach! Be careful!" a girl exclaimed, also coming closer.

The lock clicked and Zach gave an uneasy grin at the girl.

"Don't worry, Nat. I got this."

And he swung open the door. The man leaning against it fell, landing on the floor of the Pokemon Center. However, he didn't seem to notice this as he was still screaming and withering, legs and arms thumping the ground.

"Now, Charmeleon! Flash!"

The fire-type swished its tail, the flaming tip brightening. At the last minute, Leah turned her eyes away, closing them tightly. The flash of light was intense, made only worse by the dark room. Even with her eyes shut the light still hurt. She could hear groans and shrieks from the people too slow to turn away. Only when the light dimmed and faded did she open her eyes again.

Her vision was blurry and there were spots in front of her eyelids, but she could see the man face down on the ground, completely silent. The smoke monster had vanished.

The girl apparently named Nat approached Zach and bent down to see the man properly.

"Excuse me, sir?" she said. "Are you alright?"

Zach joined her.

"Obviously not. Look at his head; it's a mess." He shook the man's shoulder. "Want me to call an ambulance, man?"

"What's going on?" Ashley asked Leah in a low voice. "It that guy-"

"Oh my god!" Nat screamed, jumping away from the body, her friend right behind her with his hands up.

The people watching the scene surged forward in interest, pushing Leah and Ashley closer as well. The first few people who caught sight of it gasped or tried to fight the tide to get away from it. Leah herself got a glimpse of the man's face, or the bloody flat surface where it was supposed to be. Nausea made itself known, but she pushed it down, trying to wipe the image from her memory.

"Is he dead?" Ashley asked louder, peering around Leah. But the older girl only shifted to the side, pulling the blond away from the body and crowd.

"Either that or he's going to need a new face," Leah said grimly.

A tide of voices suddenly broke out.

"Someone call the police!"

"What's happening?"

"What killed him? Was it a ghost?"

"Who is he?"

Nat's voice joined the crowd's. "Zach, get away from it!"

"Everyone shut up!"

The people quieted until there were only whispers going on between them. Zach stood in front of the crowd, his arms folded, his Charmeleon beside him.

"Now," he said. "Who was the first one here?"

Faces turned to each other with confusion and Leah was about to join them when she remembered she was the first one there. For a moment, she wondered whether it would be okay to not say anything since it wasn't like she saw anything incriminating, but she wanted this over with as soon as possible. Not saying anything would only raise further questions and frustration.

"I was!" she said, stepping forward.

Zach turned to her.

"Did you see anything weird?"

"No, just that guy screaming."

"… All right, then." Zach's eyes met the nurse's, who stood at the back wearing the typical nurse's outfit. He pointed to her. "Hey! Go call the police!"

She nodded and hurried off.

"Now, listen up!" he said, directing his voice at everyone. "Who here as their Pokemon and doesn't mind guard duty?"

There was a not a word spoken.

He sighed. "Look, that guy just died in front of us and me and Charmeleon can't guard alone." He pointed at the body. "You saw what that smoke thing did to this guy, right? And I see some of you guys holding Poke Balls, so don't bother hiding them."

When still no one said anything, Nat stepped forward.

"I'll guard with you, Zach," she said, taking out a Poke Ball from the shirt pocket of her pajamas. "Let's go, Ivysaur!"

The plant Pokemon stood by Charmeleon on four legs, its teal body and pink bulb glowing yellow from the fire-type flame-tipped tail.

Zach smiled at her.

"Thanks, Nat."

"… I'll help," Leah said, surprised to find herself saying that. But what choice did she have? She was not going back to sleep after something like this and she wasn't sure if she'd feel safe sitting in her own room. Being with a group meant more protection, plus, she would get more information about what cause this. Were those smoke things common in Lavender? If so, she wanted to find out.

She released Zee, putting Sands's Poke Ball away for safe keeping. She doubted her Sandslash was ready for guard duty yet.

"Nice Drowzee," Zach said, nodding at her.

Leah looked at Ashley, not sure what to say. While there was more safety in a group, she didn't think the blond would be able to help out much and if one of those smoke things did attack them, she'd probably only get in the way.

"Go back to bed," she finally said. "Chandelle's still there so you won't be alone."

She didn't like Chandelle, but she at least trusted the girl's skills at Pokemon. She bet those smoke things wouldn't like going against her ghostly lawn-mower.

Ashley's eyes narrowed and she scowled.

"No, I want to stay with you!"

As they argued, Leah kept an ear and eye on what Zach was doing. More people had offered up their night and he was directing them to the other entrances of the Pokemon Center. Other people were leaving of their own accord, having figured out that there was nothing they could do (or didn't want to do).

"- Zu-Zu may not be strong, but he has really good hearing! No one will be able to slip by him." Ashley paused. "Leah?"

Leah turned back to her. "What? Oh, right-"

"You aren't listening!" she said, looking hurt. "I can help!"

Being up in the middle of the night had made Leah tired and fogged her mental capabilities. That was the only reason that she could think of on why she was sighing and admitting defeat.

She sometimes wished she was more stubborn.

"Do whatever I tell you," she told the blond. "No hesitations."

Ashley nodded, grinning. "Whatever you say."

Leah turned her attention to her Drowzee. "Ready for some guard duty, Zee?" she asked, putting a hand on the psychic-type's head.

A green thumps-up flashed through her mind and Leah sent the same image back with a smiley face. While Zee was still working on reading emotions, she was quickly expanding and evolving her weird mental communication system all the time. While she still liked to use colors for emotions, Leah was still surprised at the human symbols that the Pokemon sent her. Almost enough that Leah was getting ready for when the psychic-type sent her a mental message in words.

Shaking her head, Leah walked towards Zach and Nat, trusting Zee and Ashley to follow.

"Hey, thanks for guarding with us," Zach greeted, seeing her come up. "What's your name?"

"Leah," she said.

Zach smiled, glancing at Ashley. "And how about the lovely lady by your side?"

The blond went red. "Uh, Ashley," she stuttered. "I'm Ashley!"

"Aww," Nat cooed, grinning. "You two sisters?"

Leah had no clue how the girl had got to that conclusion. They looked nothing alike.

"No."

The confusion must have been present in her voice because Nat laughed, sticking her hand out. "Anyways, my name's Natalie. It's nice to meet you two."

Leah shook her hand and Ashley did the same.

Happening to glance down at the body again, Leah felt her previously light mood disappearing and worry take its place. "I didn't know ghosts could do something like this…" she said.

No, she was sure. She knew ghosts, even the ones from other regions. While ghosts could do some nasty things, they couldn't do something like that. And even if they could, that small smoke thing didn't look like any ghost she had ever seen.

Zach frowned, going serious. "Yeah, I didn't either. The guy must have really pissed the ghost off for it to go to these lengths."

"I've never heard of a ghost being this violent," Natalie said. "Malicious and cruel, yes, but never like this."

"Maybe he knocked over a grave at Pokemon Tower?"

"When you did that, you only got licked and went to the hospital paralyzed." The girl grimaced. "You didn't get… chewed on!"

"Maybe-" Zach cut himself off and knelt down next to the body.

"What are you doing?"

"… Is it just me," he said, "or this guy dressed kind of weirdly?

Natalie didn't seem too concerned.

"Maybe he was travelling at night and needed to blend in. We're done that before."

"Yeah, but we didn't use black. If you want to camouflage, you use green or brown; anything other than black… Actually, he kinda looks like-"

Taking a sharp breath, Natalie joined him on the floor.

"Do you think…?" she said, lowering her voice.

"Maybe. I can't really tell from the back."

"Do you know him?" Leah asked.

Natalie ignored Leah. "I'm not touching him," she said.

Zach, however, turned to her. "Can your Drowzee mentally lift things?"

"Not a body," Leah said shortly. Honestly, she didn't know, but she didn't want Zee to touch that thing, physically or mentally.

Not going near the head, Zach grabbed the man's shoulder and lifted him with a grunt.

Natalie fidgeted. "Don't touch it. The police aren't going to like it!" When Zach put the man back down in place, she hesitated and asked, "Is he one of them?"

Zach scowled. "Yeah, he has the badge on."

"Then what's he doing here?"

"Not sure. Probably nothing good."

"What are you talking about?" Leah demanded. "Who is he?"

"Have you ever heard of Team Rocket?" Zach asked in return.

"No." She frowned. "… They sound familiar."

Zach and Natalie exchanged a glance and it was the boy who said, "Team Rocket is a gang that steal and mass-capture Pokemon to sell."

"We battled them in Mount Moon," Natalie added. "They were rounding up all the Clefairy there."

"They're not too strong- I doubt many of them are real trainers- but there's tons of them. Me and Nat were barely able to beat them back at Mount Moon. Professor Oak was with us, though, so we lucked out."

"You met Professor Oak?" Ashley asked, awed.

Zach nodded. "Yeah, cool guy. I didn't even know he owned such a strong Dragonite."

Natalie looked out the window, worried.

"… Zach, do you think they're after the ghost-types at Pokemon Tower?"

"They could try, but there's no way they're capturing them. The ghosts would just turn intangible until they went away."

"They could use Foresight."

Zach snapped his fingers. "… Damn, that's right. ****, this can't be good."

It was only because Leah was on edge that she heard it. There was a light padding of feet and Leah caught Chandelle slipping into the room, unnoticed to everyone but her. She was still in her nightgown and her Rotom-M floated at her shoulder, looking quite see-through.

"Chandelle," Leah called out, making everyone aware of the guest. "I thought you were staying in bed?"

"You never came back," she replied coolly, joining the group near the body. "What's going on?"

The body was right in front of her, but Chandelle seemed to want Leah's explanation.

"A ghost killed someone."

Chandelle glanced at the body.

"Who is he?"

"Some Team Rocket guy."

Any ounce of interest Chandelle had vanished and her face went blank.

"Ah."

"Nice ghost-type," Zach said. "From Sinnoh?"

"Of course."

A whine sounded in the distance, the unmistakable noise of police sirens. It sounded like there were many of them and were coming up fast.

And then Leah had a thought.

"Why did he come here?" She focused on Zach and Natalie. "I mean, if you two recognized him so fast and he's a criminal, why here? Didn't he have any friends to go to?"

"He was confused," Chandelle answered softly.

"He didn't know where he was going?"

She shook her head. "He knew. This is a Pokemon Center. Where else would a trainer go to seek refuge?"

Those words sent a shiver down Leah's spine.

Obviously, there was something weird going on in Lavender Town and she really didn't want to find out what it was.


-


A/N: Mentor has reached fifty chapters! :D

Also, celebrating fifty chapters, I have a fun little challenge for you guys. See, I was editing this chapter and just when I was about to finish I noticed a BIG plot hole. After sobbing in shame for a few minutes, I realized while it was big, it was also shallow enough for me to fix (or at least offer an explanation for) in later chapters. In the meantime, I want to see if any of you can guess what it is. So, consider this a challenge. Any winners get… a spoiler. Specifically, I will tell you where Leah, Ed, and Ally each get their next Pokemon and what chapter it will happen in. You'll have to guess the species of Pokemon they get for yourself.

Yeah, not much of a prize, but better than a cookie, right? ;)

 

[Daeva]

Yay, another yummy chapter! *-*

Do we get unlimited guesses? C:

My first guess;
The time and nights doesn't really fit, but maybe they're not meant to either.
You see, Ed and Ally "they left last night" and they had been missing for almost a day = The tower incident was the last night.
Then the rocket guy comes and gently knocks the pokécenter door the next night.
Where has he been during the day between the nights and why is the gastly (I guess it's a gastly?) eating him the next night and not the last night? Though, maybe the rockets didn't go back to a safe place and got attacked the next night again by some reason.
I doubt that the gastly would have stalked and kept confuse the rocket guy during the day only to eat him the next night.

Am I right? : o

 

[Dagzar]

Do we get unlimited guesses? C:

Sure, though you obviously don't need any. Congrats, Daeva! That's the plot hole I'm talking about (the man attended the Pokemon Tower party, disappeared for 24 hours, and appeared again at the Pokemon Center like it was the same night). I will PM you your spoilers~

And since this challenge thing was finished so quickly, I'll make another since I have found a different plot hole in Mentor a while back which no one has called me out on yet. The prize is the same as last time (i.e. spoilers). This plot hole is related to the rules of evolution. Somewhere in the story I have broken one of them, so it's up to you guys to tell me which one and where it happened (it's pretty blatant).

And no guessing for you, Daeva; you already have your prize. ;)

 

[chelly1107]

This is my first time posting here >_< And I haven't posted anywhere in more than a month.

Is it okay to make more than one guess in one post?

and

Is it the part where an untrained spearow evolved in a cage? or that butterfrees can't evolve?

 

[Buoysel]

I think, but I may be mixing stores in my head... that you talked about a Pokemon evolving normally, when it in the game, it has to be traded to evolve.

I may be mixing your story and another one so if its wrong just ignore me. ^^;

 

[Daeva]

Oh!! I think I know!!! *impatiently stretches up hand with a big smile and makes noise with chair*
I actually did consider a strange thing before, but since it was earlier in the story I didn't mention it C;

Do you mind if I guess by PM? xD just for fun, I might could be wrong too.

 

[trash]

I like it.
When will we be able to read more?
I'll refrain myself from guessing to spare me some humiliation :)

 

[Dagzar]

This is my first time posting here >_< And I haven't posted anywhere in more than a month.

Is it okay to make more than one guess in one post?

and

Is it the part where an untrained spearow evolved in a cage? or that butterfrees can't evolve?

Hmm, now that I'm thinking about it, might as well limit it to one guess per person. I don't want people just randomly guessing on every sentence I mention evolution in. And nope, that's not it, though nice try (the untrained Spearow evolving is something that I might go reread, though, since it sounds kind of weird).

I think, but I may be mixing stores in my head... that you talked about a Pokemon evolving normally, when it in the game, it has to be traded to evolve.

I may be mixing your story and another one so if its wrong just ignore me. ^^;

Honestly, I forget a lot about my own story too. <_< Either way, you're guess is incorrect (I'm not sure if I even wrote that or not. I might have, but I can't remember).

Oh!! I think I know!!! *impatiently stretches up hand with a big smile and makes noise with chair*
I actually did consider a strange thing before, but since it was earlier in the story I didn't mention it C;

Do you mind if I guess by PM? xD just for fun, I might could be wrong too.

Go right ahead and guess by PM. ^_^

I like it.
When will we be able to read more?
I'll refrain myself from guessing to spare me some humiliation

I've barely started the next chapter, but I'm pretty sure it'll be posted in about two to three weeks (on the Friday).

 

[Dagzar]

Long time no see, guys! Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been busy with finals and school. But now that the semester is over, I can start writing again. I should have an update by the end of the year, but we'll see how it goes. Now, the real reason for this message is tell you that I'm revising Mentor. Not rewriting or anything big like that, but I'm re-reading all of Mentor's chapters and doing a bit of editing if I see something weird. Though, if I do some major rewriting, like if I see a scene that I'm really not happy with, I'll let you guys know what scene it is so you can re-read it. Anyways, just wanted to give you an update on the current situation. I'm not exactly sure when I'll be posting next, so have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Years. :)

 

[delongbi]

Goodness, I was waaaaaaaayyy behind. This was a nice procrastination break. But you've seriously been doing a great job- there's a nice mystery going on here. Can't wait for the next chapter!

 

[Dagzar]

Mentor

Chapter 51: Aftermath​

-


Leah yawned.

Never in all her life did she have such a crazy and sleepless night.

It must have taken hours for her to get back to sleep, not that Ashley in her bed helped much. It was hard to sleep when someone just died in the building you were in. She had been so paranoid that Zee had the honor of keeping her company for the rest of the night (but on the ground since she had no room on her bed). At least she wasn't the only one frightened as she was sure the disappearing red eyes and green glow from above Chandelle's bed wasn't a hallucination.

Either way, her night sucked and all plans she made the day before were scrapped. It was hard to motivate herself to look for Ed and Ally when she could barely walk five steps without bumping into something.

Luckily, she wasn't the only one suffering as Ashley looked just as tired, the endless energy of youth having abandoned her. Chandelle was the same as ever, though Leah couldn't decide whether the long-haired girl honestly got enough sleep or if the coffee she kept sipping was affecting her.

The three of them sat in a booth in the restaurant part of the Pokemon Center. The blinds were shutting out the sunny morning and Leah and her bloodshot eyes couldn't be more thankful. Breakfast had come and gone and now all they were doing was sitting there, doing nothing aside from the occasional small talk.

Leah would have liked to get up and go do something important, but she was too comfy and her legs kept refusing her commands.

It was very quiet in the restaurant and if Leah strained her ears, she swore she could hear the talk of the cooks in the kitchen. It wasn't that everyone was being quiet, though. It was just that Leah and her group were the pretty much the only ones there. The restaurant, like the lobby, was deserted.

She didn't think she'd ever seen a Pokemon Center so empty before, but due to the guy who died, she couldn't blame anyone from switching locations immediately. If she had the energy to walk across town to get to another Pokemon Center, she probably would have too.

First Ed and Ally disappeared and then the… murder last night. Why did everything have to get so complicated?

Suddenly, two shadows fell onto their table.

"Hello, ladies," Zach said, smiling despite the tiring and horrific night.

Standing beside him, Natalie added her own greeting. "Good afternoon. Did you have a good sleep?"

"No," Leah deadpanned.

Ashley gave a mumbled answer and Chandelle only drank her coffee.

Zach gave them an odd look. "… Anyways, have you seen the news?"

"No?" Leah wasn't sure if her eyes would even be able to stand looking at a TV. "What, did the police find out what happened to that guy?"

"No news on that yet."

"Pokemon Tower's been locked up," Natalie said.

A surge of energy seemed to come over Ashley. "What!" She leaned forward "Why?"

Shrugging, Zach said, "No one knows. People tried to get in yesterday but couldn't."

Taking off his backpack, he slid into the booth next to Chandelle and across from Leah. In ordinary circumstances, Leah wouldn't have been too pleased that someone was inviting themselves to sit down but the guy seemed to be a source of information. It also helped that the frown Chandelle was sending him amused her.

"Zach, we shouldn't bother them," Natalie said, looking uncomfortable.

He only wagged a finger at her. "No time for nagging, Nat. Something weird's definitely going on and we'll need all the help we can get."

Biting her lip, Natalie sighed. "You're right."

She sat down next to Leah, giving Leah the honored joy of being in the middle of the booth.

Leah, however, frowned. What did he mean by 'help?'

And then what the guy said before occurred to Leah.

"Wait, what do you mean 'couldn't get in'?"

"I don't know," he repeated. "That's just what the news has been saying. Apparently, people who work at the tower tried to get in early this morning but the door wouldn't open and none of the keys would work."

Leah shrugged. "So? That sounds like regular ghost activity to me."

"How? Do ghosts usually jam doors?"

"My grandmother has a bunch of ghost Pokemon. They sometimes do that; they think it's hilarious," Leah said dryly. While living with ghost Pokemon was fun the first few times her grandmother let them roam around the house, they got annoying real fast.

"Well, the news people sounded pretty concerned when I listened to it. I guess these types of ghosts don't do that sort of stuff."

Ashley shook her head. "No, they sometimes do. At night, they like to move things around the houses closest to the tower." She hesitated. "But they've never done anything to the tower itself before."

After a moment of thought, Zach leaned back and crossed his arms. "Okay, do you guys agree something's going on?"

"… What do you mean?" Leah asked.

"I mean, it can't be a coincidence that the Pokemon Tower locked itself up and a Team Rocket member was murdered by a ghost around the same time."

Shaking her head, Leah said, "I don't think that was a ghost."

"Then what was it?"

"I don't know, but it was no ghost. It didn't look like any ghost-type Pokemon I've ever seen- and I know ghost-types."

Natalie frowned. "Zach… What if it's a-"

"We talked about this, Nat," Zach said, cutting her off. "There's no way it's one of those."

"One of what?"

Zach and Natalie exchanged a glance, and then Zach sighed.

"Have you ever heard of Missingno?" he asked.

As soon as Leah heard that name, any respect she had for the two trainers vanished.
"Those things don't exist," she said, scowling.

"What's a Missingno?" Ashley asked.

Chandelle sipped her coffee. "A Pokemon that's said to live off the coast of Cinnabar Island."

Leah couldn't help but add, "One that doesn't exist."

Having pretty much lived on the internet for the past few years, Leah could safely say she had enough information on Missingno to write a book on it. Missingno was the star of an urban legend that started to gain attention around a decade ago when a famous Pokemon capturer from Viridian vanished while looking for it on Cinnabar Island. It gained so much attention, in fact, that some people honestly believed that it existed, though its origin story changed depending on whom you were talking to. There was even a petition that circulated the internet a year back that was tried to get the Pokemon League to acknowledge Missingno's existence and put it into the Pokedex.

Leah had gotten sick of Missingno stories soon after it gained a wide audience. There were only so many times she could run into it on the internet before she became annoyed by the whole thing. It didn't help that her grandmother had known the vanished capturer and told her that the man had drug problems and had probably wandered into the jungle while high and had fallen into a ditch somewhere… Okay, those weren't her exact words, but it was what she implied.

Either way, the entire thing was just stupid.

"Well…" Zach said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Doesn't exist."

Zack was quiet for a moment and then said, "… A few years back, Nat and I went to Cinnabar searching for one and we both saw something."

"You looked for one of those things?" Leah said, holding back an additional comment on how stupid that was. Why would anyone seriously go chasing an urban legend for?

Ashley was still clueless. "What's so bad about them?"

Leah met Chandelle's gaze, motioning for her to do the explaining.

"Missingno are said to be glitches of reality and can damage it on a whim," the older girl said carefully. "There have been many… stories that they can erase people from existence or drive them insane."

"Does it exist?" Ashley asked, frowning. "I mean if there's all this information on it-"

"There's only been sightings and disappearances," Zach said. "No one has actually captured it in a Poke Ball or on video."

Natalie added, "But we've seen it and it looked a lot like the thing from last night. They're both black and ghost-like with glowing white eyes."

"Missingno don't usually look like that," Chandelle pointed out.

"I know, but they're shape shifters, right? It's only one of their forms."

Zach sighed. "We're not saying it's Missingno, just that it could be. Besides, it doesn't really matter what the ghost is."

Natalie shot her friend a hurt look. "Zach, I think this is kind of important! We can't fight an unknown ghost!"

Shaking his head, Zach said, "It went down pretty easy to light. If there are more of them, I don't think they'll be much of a problem."

"The ghost disappeared; we don't know if it was defeated. It just ran," Natalie insisted. "I think we should find out more about these ghosts. What if they are Missingno and we run into them again?"

"Nat, do you want them to be Missingno?"

"Well, no-"

"Then let's drop it. While the ghosts are creepy, we should concentrate on Team Rocket; they're the important part here."

"I can't just drop it!" Natalie snapped. "I know Team Rocket is important, but-" Natalie sighed, the anger leaving her expression. "I really don't like the look of these ghosts. No one recognizes them and I've never heard of a ghost that will try to eat a human. And with it looking like Missingno…"

Letting out a breath, Zach said, "Do you want to leave? We can take a bus to Saffron if you really want to go."

"Not yet," Natalie said, rubbing her eyes. "I guess… Sorry, Zach, I'm just tired. Maybe if I got more sleep I'd be more up to this. Nothing's really happened yet and I'm already creep-ed out."

"It's alright, Nat. I'm tired too. You want to go to Starbucks or something? Maybe that'll help."

Natalie rose to her feet. "All right."

As Zach got up to join her, she turned to everyone else. "Sorry about interrupting."

"We'll talk more later," Zach added, waving goodbye.

"Bye," Ashley said, but Leah and Chandelle were silent as they watched the couple leave.

"…Do you think it's a Missingno?" Ashley asked.

"It'd better not be," Leah found herself saying. While she was firm in her belief that Missingno did not exist, it still begged the question of what the ghost from last night was. The only thing she could think of was that the ghost was a shiny Pokemon of some sort and the dim lighting made it seem like a different Pokemon altogether.

Really, she could speculate all she wanted, but until she got a clearer image of the ghost, there really wasn't a point.

Chandelle took one more sip of her coffee before sliding out of the booth.

"Where you going?" Leah asked.

"I need to check up on a few things," Chandelle said grimly, following the path Zach and Natalie took out of the restaurant.

Ashley waited until Chandelle was out of sight before asking, "What do you think she's doing?"

Leah remembered Chandelle's reasons for coming to Lavender Town. "It doesn't matter," she said. "It's none of our business."


-


After that, it was with great drowsiness that Leah found herself back in the lobby of the Pokemon Center, sprawled out on one of the plush chairs. She had neither the energy nor the motivation to go all the way back to her room, so the chair became her substitute bed. Her body demanded sleep and she had no choice but to give it some if she was going to do anything useful later in the day.

Ashley joined her on the chairs, but she was doing something actually useful: watching the news on TV in relation to Pokemon Tower.

The TV wasn't very loud, so it was easily ignored. It helped that the reporter onscreen was talking in a droning voice, the perfect background noise to going to sleep with. While the news was could have contained important information on Leah current situation, she had no interest in it. She didn't care that Zach and Natalie thought something bad was going on; she wasn't going to get involved. As soon as she found Ed and Ally and made sure they were alright, she was leaving Lavender.

Over the next twenty minutes, Leah drifted in and out of sleep, dreaming of many strange things. Just as she was sure that she was about to completely fall asleep, there was a thump from the chair next to her.

Opening one eye, Leah glared at the person who disturbed her. To her surprise, however, it was Chandelle, who was frowning deeply as she bent over her bag, digging through it.

Leah would have liked to go back to sleep, but an irate Chandelle was a rare thing and she found her curiosity piqued.

"What's wrong?"

"The Pokemon Storage System is offline," Chandelle said in a clipped tone. She gave a small sound of frustration as she came back up from her bag empty handed.

Leah blinked, sitting up properly. As far as she knew, the Storage System wasn't offline too often.

"Is it broken or something?"

"I don't know."

"What were you trying to do?"

"I need to switch over some of my Pokemon. If the situation gets any worse then I must be prepared." Chandelle sighed, throwing her hair over her shoulder and then leaning back in her chair. "A Rotom and a wild Magneton are not enough protection."

"… You think it's going to get worse?"

Chandelle gave her a strange look. "Don't you?"

Honestly, Leah didn't care if it did. As long as she wasn't in town when it happened, then what did it matter?

"-was last seen two days ago at Pokemon Tower," the reporter on the TV said. "Officials are uncertain whether Mr. Fuji has anything to do with the mysterious lockdown of Pokemon Tower."

"Fuji?" Leah said.

Ashley looked over. "You don't know who that is?"

"Sounds familiar…"

"Everyone knows about him," Ashley went on. "He takes care of Pokemon Tower."

Leah looked at the screen, which showed a picture of an old Japanese man.

"So he's missing?"

"Looks like." Ashley frowned. "I wonder what happened to him…"

The screen cut to outside the Tower with the reporter and a blond middle-aged woman.

"Victoria Reed has worked at Pokemon Tower for over ten years and works directly under Mr. Fuji. Victoria, why do you think the Pokemon Tower closed up?"

The woman didn't look comfortable to be on camera. "I- It's hard to say," she said, hesitating. "Halloween is just weeks away, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the ghosts were acting up, though-"

"Is this filmed live?"

Leah looked up at the sudden question, glancing at Ashley. The blond had her eyes cemented on the screen.

"Maybe?" Leah shrugged, having no clue. "Why?"

The blond narrowed her eyes.

"Do you… know her?" Leah asked.

"She's my mom."

That wasn't what Leah had been expecting.

"What?"

Ashley didn't reply.

"So your mom works at Pokemon Tower?" Leah mused out loud, looking at the screen.

With barely a grunt, Ashley leapt out of her feet and went towards the front door. Leah swung her head around.

"Hey, where you going?"

"I'm going to find my mom; she should be home now," Ashley said, just before she went out the door.

Leah got up, cursing at both her body for how sluggish it felt, and Ashley for making her get up in the first place.

"I'm going after her," she told Chandelle.

The older girl waved her off and Leah left.


-


Ashley didn't say anything when Leah followed her to the bus stop, got on the bus, and then took a seat beside her.

The bus was already well on its way when Ashley said, "I didn't want you to come. Why did you?"

"Why not? Are you not allowed to have friends over?"

Ashley snorted. "Never asked."

Honestly, Leah didn't know why she followed Ashley either. She should have been getting some much needed rest, not going on a field trip with a girl she hardly knew.

Though, even if they had barely known each other a week, Leah liked the blond. She was annoying and loud at times, but there was a certain charm to her. Sometimes, she even found herself thinking Ashley as a friend… even if it did make her feel weird. The blond looked so much younger than her and barely reached her waist. Every time Leah glanced at her, she remembered that this girl was only the same age as Ed and Ally. She wasn't sure if it was the swearing or the secrecy, but Ashley seemed so unlike her previous charges.

Either way, Ashley was her friend and that meant Leah had the right to be worried about her livelihood. It just wasn't natural for someone as young as Ashley to be so… mysterious.

"… You know," Leah said, choosing her words carefully, "The more secretive you are, the more assumptions I'm going to make about your home life."

A confused look flashed past Ashley's face, before it turned into a snarl.

"My parents aren't like that!"

Leah noticed a few people turning their heads at the yell, and glared at them until they looked away.

"Then tell me about yourself," Leah suggested.

Ashley was scowling low in her seat, arms crossed. It might've made Leah rethink about pushing if the blond didn't look so adorable while doing it.

Rolling her eyes, Leah said, "Fine, I'll start. My name is Leah Gordon and I'm from Pallet Town. I usually live with my grandmother, and I have two Pokemon, Sands the Sandslash and Zee the Drowzee." She paused as she wondered what else to say. "… I love Jason Dare, I don't like storms, and my favorite Pokemon is Salamence. Your turn."

"… My name is Ashley Reed and I'm from Lavender Town," Ashley said quietly, eyes focused on the window. "My parents are divorced but I mostly live with my mom. I have one Pokemon, Zu-Zu, though I want more. I love all things Pokemon, I hate people's stupid assumptions, and my favorite Pokemon is Lanturn, I guess."

"See, that wasn't so hard," Leah said, smiling slightly as she digested the information. She didn't really get any tangible information, but it was a start, at least.

She glanced at Ashley, who was still frowning.

"Oh, quit pouting. What does it matter that I know things about you?"

"… Have you ever-" Ashley shook her head. "Never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Seriously, what? I'm not going to laugh."

Ashley sat up straighter.

"We're here," she said.

The bus pulled to a stop in a suburban neighborhood. Ashley got out of her seat before Leah could say anything, and the older girl was forced to follow. Once off the bus, Ashley walked quickly with her hands in her pockets and her head low. Leah's height allowed her to easily keep up with the blond's pace. Leah wanted to restart the conversation from before but every time she glanced at Ashley's closed off face, she thought better of it.

The neighborhood was nothing like Ed's or even her own. Instead of the cheery middle-class homes or the old and possibly haunted houses, these homes seemed small and cramped. There were no sidewalks so Leah and Ashley walked just off the road on the patched grass.

About five minutes into their hike, Ashley turned a corner and cut across a lawn to get to the house on the other side. It was a small, modest home with white plaster walls and a plain garden out front. Ashley knocked on the door as Leah shifted behind her, suddenly reevaluating her decision to come here.

Before Leah could make an excuse and run, the door opened, revealing the middle-aged woman from the television. She looked at both of them with something like disbelief.

"Hi, Mom," Ashley said quietly.

"… Ashley?" she said, surprise evident in her tone. "What are you doing here? I- I thought I told you to stay at the Pokemon Center at Rock Tunnel."

Ashley shrugged. "I didn't want to stay there anymore. Can we come in?"

The woman blinked. "O- Of course." She opened the door wider and Ashley didn't hesitate on entering. Leah reluctantly followed her, feeling out of her depth.

As Leah followed Ashley's example by taking off her shoes, the woman asked her, "And who might you be…?"

"She's Leah!" Ashley said, going into another room.

Leah nodded at the woman and followed the blond to the family room. Ashley was sprawled out on the couch, leaning against the arm and when she saw Leah enter, she motioned for her to sit beside her. The springs groaned and the couch dipped under her weight as Leah sat down.

There was a strange, heavy smell in the air, one that Leah could only describe as musty. It made her nose wrinkle, but she did her best to ignore it, preferring to take a glance around the room instead.

There was a television in the corner, an old, bulky one instead of one those wide screens you saw now and days. While the floor and couch weren't dirty, per say, there were a few stains here and there, probably made by some type of food. In the middle of the room, the floor turned into linoleum and with the addition of counters, a kitchen. There were dirty plates and glasses on the counter and over the sink, on the window sill, were several orange-tinted pill bottles.

Leah glanced over to Ashley, but the blond avoided her eyes, only staring at the wall in fake interest.

The woman entered the room, holding her arms and looking lost. She looked from Ashley to Leah, then back again, before sighing and going into the kitchen. She picked up one of the pill bottles and drowned a couple of pills down with water.

"Would you like some water?" she then asked them, already taking glasses from the cupboard.

Ashley shook her head, but Leah accepted a glass when it was offered to her. The woman remained standing with own cup in hand, staring down on them with an unreadable expression on her face.

Finally, she said, "What are you doing here, Ashley?"

The blond leaned back into the couch. "I saw you on TV, so here I am," she said.

"In Lavender," Victoria whispered, shaking her head. She raised her voice. "I thought I told you to stay at the Pokemon Center at Rock Tunnel."

"I didn't want to." Ashley shrugged in casual disinterest. "It was really boring."

Leah sipped her water, listening to the sound of a car whizzing past outside.

"Ashley, listen to me," Victoria said, taking a deep breath, "you must go back through Rock Tunnel. You can't stay in Lavender-"

"Why not?" Ashley asked, her voice gaining the common tone of an annoyed teenager.

"Don't ask questions. You have to leave."

"No!" the blond snapped, crossing her arms. "I'm not moving until I know what's going on!"

Leah really didn't want to intervene, but she couldn't help but add, "Is it because of what's going on with Pokemon Tower?"

The woman continued staring at Ashley, looking like she hadn't heard Leah.

"Ashley-"

However, Ashley grasped hold of Leah's theory. "No. It's the tower, isn't it?" she challenged. "Something to do with the tower."

Seeing as it was her only chance to get information, Leah further asked, "Did you know this was going to happen?"

Victoria was silent as she stared down into her drink.

Ashley huffed. "Mom! I'm not a kid! Just tell me!"

When the mother didn't reply, the blond opened her mouth to say more, but Victoria sighed and stopped her with a wave of her hand.

"No, I- I'll tell you," she said quietly. "For the past few weeks, I've noticed… strange people wandering around town. They dress all in black and they all have a red pin on their shirts. I tried ignoring them, but they gave me a bad feeling." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "Not only that, but the ghosts have been much more aggressive than usual. I think they, like me, sensed something bad was about to happen."

"That's why you sent me away?" Ashley asked, frowning. "Because you thought something bad was going to happen?"

"Couldn't the people have just been… Goths or something?" Leah added with similar disbelief. While intuition was somewhat useful at making snap decisions, sending a family member away because of it was a bit much.

Even when hearing the tone of their voices, Victoria only sipped her drink. "I have lived in this town for my entire life," she said. "Ever since I was a little girl, I have been able to tell when something bad was going to happen." She saw the doubt on their faces. "This may seem unreal to you, but this sixth sense has never proven me wrong. I trust it."

Honestly, Leah thought it was more likely that any 'feelings' that predicted bad events were just coincidences. If the woman had a bad feeling, then she would automatically pay more attention to any bad events in her life and contribute them to it. Just because they seemed to be related to each other didn't mean they were.

But that didn't change the fact that the people she described sounded awfully like the vague description she had gotten of Team Rocket. Black wardrobe? Check. Red pins? She didn't know, but she could easily find out.

"I didn't want to send you off on your own," Victoria continued, looking at Ashley. "But whatever was going to happen was going to big and I- I didn't want you apart of it." She shook her head. "The night before the tower went into lock down, I warned Mr. Fuji of my bad feelings. He agreed to look into it. Then the tower locked down and I think he's still in there."

"Why did the tower lockdown?" Ashley whispered, looking troubled. "It's never done this before. You think it because of those guys in black?"

"I'm sure."

"Have you ever heard of Team Rocket before?" Leah asked the woman.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't."

The three sat in silence, brooding. Leah mentally sighed, wondering what to do. Obviously, something big was going down in Lavender and if it wasn't for Ed and Ally, she would definitely consider leaving.

Though, that reminded her.

"I have a question," Leah told Victoria, making her look up. "I'm looking for two of my friends; they came into town a few days ago. They're ten, eleven-years-old; pretty short. The boy has orange hair, freckles, has a Parasect and a Ditto. The girl has black hair, Asian features, probably wearing a pink shirt, and has a Voltorb and a Vulpix. Their names are Ed and Ally. They'd definitely be together, and I'm kind of worried about them. Have you seen them?"

They weren't the best descriptions, but by the time Leah had finished, Victoria was already nodding slowly.

"I've seen them," she said.

Leah let out a breath. "When?"

"A few days ago. Actually-" A strange expression crossed the woman's face, one between confusion, half dawning fear. "I- I didn't remember them until you described them to me. I wasn't paying attention to them, but they- two children matching that description were with Fuji, the night the tower went into lockdown."

It took a few seconds for that to sink into Leah's brain. After which, she thought many things, most boiling down to: ****.

Now what was she supposed to do? If Ed and Ally were trapped in the tower with Fuji then there wasn't much she could do. She assumed that the people investigating the tower's lockdown were smart enough to try breaking the windows, but if they couldn't open it, who said she could? Was she just supposed to wait until the tower unlocked itself? That could take forever!

And then there was Team Rocket. Even with a name as stupid as that, Zach and Natalie both vouched for the team's evilness. She didn't know how Team Rocket was tied into the whole tower mess except for the fact that they were.

But seriously, what was she supposed to do?

"Do you think the tower will unlock by itself?" Leah asked Victoria.

The woman only looked pained. "I- I don't know. I'm sorry."

Leah looked away, not knowing how to proceed.

"Though…"

She looked up.

"If it's any consolation," Victoria said, looking down at her glass. "Fuji told me that if anything were to happen to the tower and he wasn't available, I was to notify the Elite Four immediately."

"Have you?" Leah asked, her mind taking that information and going into overdrive. Why would the Elite Four have to be notified about the tower and not the Pokemon League? Why specifically the Elite Four?

Victoria frowned. "I called the number I was supposed to, but I didn't talk to the Elite Four directly, only a messenger. I'm not sure when they'll get it."

"Call them again and tell them kids are stuck in the tower, too," Leah ordered. "That'll make them come quicker."

"I can't," Victoria said, sounding frustrated. "I tried calling them this morning, but it wouldn't go through. The phone lines are jammed."

Leah felt a shiver creep down her spine. Hearing that the phones were down was the worst thing to hear in horror movies, and since she was in a town filled with ghosts, Leah couldn't help but feel she was in one. Lavender had a tower that contained nothing but graves for crying out loud. Enough bad horror movies were filmed in Lavender, anyways.

"Ashley," Victoria said, making the blond look up. "Go back through Rock Tunnel."

"What? No!" Ashley sat up straighter, looking ready to argue her point. "I want to stay-"

"Ashley." Victoria's voice gained an edge. "Don't argue. I don't want you in Lavender."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Oh, so now that something interesting is happening, you want me to leave."

"This isn't the time-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Ashley snarled. "I'm going to stay in Lavender! It's not like I'll be in danger!"

"I can't take that chance." The hand that held Victoria's glass tightened, turning the knuckles white. "I can't-"

Ashley stood up. "I'm not defenseless!" she said, her face turning red. "I'm not a kid! You can't tell me what to do!"

"I'm your mother-"

"So what?"

That statement hung in the air between them as Leah tried not to choke on the tension. She did not get out of bed that morning just to wind up a witness in a family argument.

"I don't want you in Lavender," Victoria whispered in the heavy silence. "I don't want you here."

"Well, good thing I won't be staying here then," Ashley declared, purposely mishearing her mother's words. "I'll stay at the Pokemon Center on Route Eight."

Victoria repeated her daughter's words under her breath silently, a bit of confusion coming over her face. Slowly, she said, "But wasn't that the Pokemon Center…"

Like a flip of a switch, Victoria's mood turned around. She put down her empty glass and an edge entered her voice, the kind of edge parents got when they wanted to rule their children with iron fists.

"Absolutely not," she said coldly, her voice allowing no arguments.

Even if she couldn't see Ashley's entire face from her angle on the couch, Leah saw the blond hesitate, her body flinching automatically from the tone.

However, Leah had to give Ashley props as she didn't back down.

"I'm staying at the Pokemon Center," Ashley repeated a bit slower. "And there's nothing you can do about it."

"Someone died there," Victoria argued. "Just this morning. You must know."

"Of course. I was there," Ashley said.

Leah tried not to facepalm.

Apparently, Ashley knew her words were facepalm-worthy too as she continued, "And you know what killed it? A Charmeleon's Flash attack. Only one attack from one Pokemon. The Pokemon Center is filled with trainers with tons of Pokemon! It must be the safest place in Lavender Town! And the guy who died didn't die in the Pokemon Center. It was outside."

It was a good recovery and was even partly true. The problem was that everyone on the scene, including Leah herself, didn't do anything. She and everyone else only watched as the guy was being eaten by a ghost. If Zach and Natalie weren't there, Leah had to wonder how long it would take until someone stepped in and did something. If people hesitated when something bad was going on right in front of them, how were they supposed to be trusted to help unconditionally? Not only that, but the Pokemon Center was already rather empty last night, before the attack. That morning, the place was practically deserted, and Leah wouldn't be surprised if she, Ashley, Chandelle, Zach, and Natalie were the last people in the Pokemon Center by the time they got back.

Pokemon Centers were safe, but it didn't mean they were impervious to all danger. If what Victoria said was true, that something bad was on its way, then things would only get worse. While Chandelle, Zach, and Natalie's Pokemon seemed to be able to take care of them, Leah had only one useable Pokemon, really, and she might as well not even count Ashley.

If only she had no conscience and could just ignore Ed and Ally's situation, then she wouldn't have to think about such things. She could just leave. Unfortunately, she wasn't a sociopath and all she could do was hope that things would work out.

"I don't want you there," Victoria said. "If you must stay in Lavender, then you'll stay with me."

"No, I want to stay with Leah."

Suddenly, the overprotective glare of a mother was upon her and Leah tried not to fidget in place. The gaze made her feel like all of her misdeeds (which was a long list) were being read out to a crowd of judges that wanted her to be hanged. It was one thing to observe a family argument and another to be brought into it.

"You can't ask a stranger to protect you," Victoria said, turning back to Ashley.

"Leah's my friend, not a stranger."

"And how long have you known her for?"

Ashley stuck out her chin. "I met her on my first day at Rock Tunnel. So, two weeks. She's a really good trainer," she added.

Leah tried not to wince at the blatant lies that were coming from Ashley's mouth. Two weeks? More like four days. And that wasn't even starting on the trainer thing.

Victoria looked at the older again, and asked, "How old is she?"

"Seventeen," Ashley said without hesitation.

Victoria looked hesitant. At the look, Ashley added, "Chandelle will be with us, too. She's Leah's friend. She has really strong Pokemon and is, like, twenty."

Her case having been made, Ashley crossed her arms and waited for the final verdict. The blond seemed confident but Leah saw the doubt on Victoria's face, how she kept stopping herself from reaching up to clasp her necklace in a nervous habit.

"No," Victoria finally said.

Ashley stood in shock. "What? Why?!"

"I can't trust strangers to protect you, Ashley. While they may have good intentions, they won't be there for you all the time. Your Zubat cannot provide adequate protection and if a wild Pokemon attacks, you have no way of defending yourself."

"I told you!" Ashley said, frustrated. "Leah is going to be with me and she's not going to leave me alone!"

"I think Leah has enough to deal with without you adding to it," Victoria shot back.

And that was true. Leah did have a lot of things to deal with (Ed and Ally were locked in the tower, Sands was still misbehaving…) and a tagalong would just add to that. However, Ashley was growing on her and while Leah couldn't trust the blond to battle to save her life, she was more mature and capable than Victoria assumed.

Leah coughed. "I don't mind looking after her."

As long as 'looking after' meant 'doing what she wanted and letting the blond follow', then Leah was surprised at herself that she didn't really mind.

Ashley gestured to Leah. "See? She doesn't mind!"

"Thank you for volunteering, Leah," Victoria said gently, "but Ashley will stay with me."

And Ashley blew up.

"No! You can't just order me around!" she screamed. "I'm old enough to decide for myself! You never let me do what I want! I bet you won't even when I turn twenty!"

The blond spun on heel, stomping towards the door as she called out behind her, "Come on, Leah! We're leaving!"

Leah glanced at Victoria, taking in her miserable look, before getting off the couch and following. At the doorway, however, she hesitated, looking back at Ashley's mother.

"I'll… keep an eye on her," she promised. Then, after putting on her shoes, she exited the house and crossed the lawn, where Ashley was waiting. Leah almost expected Ashley's mother to follow them out of the house in one last attempt to stop them, but she didn't.

The two of them walked back to the bus stop without saying a word. It was only when they were waiting for the bus did Ashley speak up.

"She's always getting in my way," the blond grumbled, fists clenching. "I hate her."

"… She just didn't want you to get hurt," Leah said after a pause. "She looked pretty sad."

"It serves her right! She's always stopped me from doing anything! I'm hardly allowed to go outside anymore!" Ashley leaned back into the bunch, sighing as all the anger seemed to drain out of her. "Just because…"

When Ashley didn't go on, Leah felt it was a good idea to change the topic.

"What about your dad? Do you see him often?"

Ashley brightened up. "Oh, he's cool, way better than Mom. He lets me do what I want as long as I'm back home before ten PM."

That sounded a bit more like irresponsible parenting to Leah, but she kept her thoughts quiet.

"You live with both of your parents?"

"Yeah, I change houses every few days."

"Must be annoying."

"I'm used to it."

The conversation petered out and Leah and Ashley were quiet as the bus came and picked them up. They were dropped off close to the Pokemon Center and they walked the rest of the way. Just when they were getting close, Leah saw a Pidgeot fly overhead, its long wings pumping as it got higher. She could barely catch a glimpse of the person riding it.

"Whoa, what Pokemon is that?" Ashley asked, pointing.

Right outside the Pokemon Center was a large green dragon with red-rimmed wings and what looked like red glasses over its eyes. A boy was securing a saddle to its back as the dragon's long tail whipped back in forth in impatience.

"Can't remember," Leah said, knowing she'd seen the Pokemon somewhere but couldn't recall its name. "I think it's from Hoenn."

They stopped to watch the boy climb onto the Pokemon's back and motion for the dragon to fly. With a few flap of its wings, the dragon leapt into the air, the boy holding on tight, and the Pokemon was airborne, taking off into the sky.

While Leah wasn't a trainer, she wondered whether she should consider getting a flying-type that could get her places. It would cut down on the travelling time by a reasonable amount and it'd definitely be cool to fly… However, she was looking for adventure and that was usually found between cities. So if she just flew over all of that, she might miss out on opportunities.

Though that didn't mean she was saying no to a flying-type. She'd love to have something like a Salamence. That would be cool.

"Hey! Over here!"

Leah turned her head, seeing Natalie waving at them from beside the Pokemon Center's doors. Ashley waved back and rushed over while Leah took her time.

"Where's Zach?" Leah asked, not seeing him around.

"He went to look at Pokemon Tower." Natalie said. "He should be back soon."

The screen doors of the Pokemon Center whooshed open as two women walked out, wearing large backpacks.

"Everyone's leaving," Ashley said, watching them go.

Natalie sighed. "Everyone's spooked. You should have seen all the people that left early this morning. I don't think I've ever seen a bigger rush of trainers in one place."

"Aren't you going?" Leah asked.

"I'm not sure. Zach and I are still deciding. It's not like this is the worst thing that's happened when we were at a Pokemon Center." Natalie smiled. "One time, when we were near Mount Silver, a wild Steelix got out of the mountain and almost destroyed the Pokemon Center we were at."

"A Steelix?" Ashley repeated with awe. "Wow."

Natalie laughed. "We were lucky we weren't hurt, honestly."

As Natalie told more stories to Ashley about her adventures, Leah retreated into her thoughts.

She didn't know what to do. Here she was, doing nothing outside the Pokemon Center while Ed and Ally were trapped in a tower. She wanted to do something, but what could she do? She had no weapons or strong Pokemon, and it wasn't like she was some kickass action girl like Chandelle who could fight by herself. She was only some fifteen-year-old who was in over her head… Again.

Ashley laughed, making Leah blink and rub her eyes.

She really needed more sleep.

"Where's Chandelle?" Leah asked Natalie.

"The long-haired girl? I haven't seen her since this morning."

Leah didn't know what Chandelle was up to, though it would have been nice if she was around. While her personality needed improvement, at least Chandelle seemed to know what she was doing. Maybe she could help her out.

Shaking her head, Leah said, "I'm going to go look around."

Ashley perked up.

"I'll come with you."

"No," Leah said. "Stay here."

Leah did promise Ashley's mother she'd look after her, but that didn't mean she wanted to be with the blond twenty-four / seven. Leah needed to think and if she just stayed at the Pokemon Center then she'd never get left alone.

"You don't need to worry about me," Ashley said, scowling.

"I'm not," Leah said. "I just need to think. I'll be back later."

Putting her hands in her pockets, Leah started to walk.


-


The rest of the day was spent wandering the town, thinking. There wasn't much else she could do. At least walking around was better than doing nothing.

Lavender Town was much like Pallet, she found. It was a small place with old-fashioned houses and shops, and where everyone knew each other. Unlike Pallet, however, Lavender had a somber feel to it, almost like the whole town was tinted in a shade of gray. Maybe the tower lockdown was just making people worried, but she never saw anyone smiling or walking around town like she was. It was like as soon as their task was completed, the townspeople immediately went back home, not milling around.

It was a depressing place and Leah wished she didn't have to stick around.

Eventually, she found herself walking away from the center of town and towards Pokemon Tower, which rose in the distance. The tower was the tallest building in Lavender and could be seen from a long ways around. It was an old thing, and as far as Leah knew, it was only used for church services and that situated on the bottom floor. The rest of the tower served as a cemetery for dead Pokemon, which was the oddest place for a cemetery she had ever heard of. It sounded like a waste of a tower.

The sun was already setting in the distance, casting the sky in orange and gold. It was depressingly early for the sun to set, and she knew that the sun would only set earlier and earlier until spring arrived. It was annoying and she wondered how trainers were supposed to travel in winter if they hardly got any daylight. She supposed that was just another reason trainers usually took a break around that time.

The constant crunch of gravel under her shoes was her only company the entire trip to the tower. Everything else was silent.

The road reached a dead-end, the tower being the only building in the area. Leah stopped in front of the impressive stone staircase and craned her neck as she stared up to the top of the tower. If Ed and Ally were in the tower, she wondered if they could see her from there.

No one stopped her from climbing the steps and trying the front door. It was locked, obviously, but she felt she had to try.

It felt odd to her that the tower wasn't being guarded at that very moment. Weren't people curious of why the tower was locked up? She half-expected to see news crews still filming here, but it looked like everyone had abandoned the area.

Leah shivered, not sure whether it was because of the cold or because she just realized how alone she was. Against her will, she went around the base of the tower and tried peering in the first-story windows, but all she could see was black. She squinted her eyes and tried looking closer (there had to be something) when a pair of bright white eyes appeared right in front of her.

"Holy-!" A pulse of fear went thought her and she found herself jumping back, nearly falling off the big hill the tower was sitting on.

She heard what sounded like a snicker and a black being materialized on the other side of the window, attached to the white eyes. The ghost phased through the glass, still snickering, and looked down on her.

The ghost was like the one from last night, completely black, and had strange black claws like a Haunter. Unlike the one from last night, it had a big, white, and open-mouthed smile that seemed to be frozen onto its face. It looked like no ghost she had ever seen and that made her more nervous than anything else.

Keeping an eye on the ghost, Leah backtracked to the stairs and carefully walked down, knowing how a regular ghost's fun would include pushing her down them. To her unease, the ghost followed her. It didn't attack her or do anything threatening; it just… followed with that big grin on its face.

Speeding up, Leah jumped the last three steps and fast-walked back towards town. She tried to squash the urge to run, as if there was a fight she would need to conserve her energy. Just in case, she felt for a specific Poke Ball in her pocket and released Zee next to her.

Instead of looking around like she normally did when just released, Zee immediately zeroed in on the ghost, shooting it an uneasy look.

"Ignore it," Leah told her Drowzee, taking her Pokemon's hand within her own. "Just… hold my hand while we walk, okay?"

Zee squeezed her hand, her claws lightly pricking the trainer's skin, but didn't stop glancing at the ghost.

Leah resumed her walk, now with Zee at her side. Having a Pokemon out would usually make her feel better, but physical contact allowed her to feel her Drowzee's strong emotions involuntarily. A deep dark blue kept flashing in Leah's mind, bringing with it an intense and almost primal fear. When her own Pokemon was more scared of a ghost she had only looked at than Leah was after spending two days in Lavender, then Leah thought it was likely she was in a very bad situation.

The urge to run was almost irresistible, but Leah was afraid that it would only provoke the ghost. Instead, she kept a fast, if stiff, walk, trying not to glance over her shoulder.

It felt like hours until they reached the more busy parts of Lavender and it was only then that Leah let herself look back.

The ghost wasn't gone, but it floated further behind, still staring at her with a grin.

Shuddering, Leah made her way back to the Pokemon Center.

By the time she got there, the ghost was truly gone, and she felt the cold tide of relief sweep through her.

Safe at last. She was never exploring Lavender again, that was for sure.

There were only three people in the lobby, no one Leah knew, and all of them were gathered in front of one of the couches, having a heated discussion.

"-Does this place even have a hospital?"

One of them was typing on a phone. "There's a clinic, but it's closed."

"There are nurses here."

"They're for Pokemon, not for humans, moron!"

Leah stared at them. What was going on?

"We should call the police; let them handle it."

"What if they think we did this?"

"That's stupid. Why would they think that?"

Not wanting anymore surprises that evening, Leah made her way over to them with Zee still clutching her hand.

"What are you guys-" she began to say, but the words died in her mouth as she caught a glance of the occupant of the couch.

She was deathly pale and had scratches over her skinny arms and face. Her black hair was matted with twigs and her clothes were dirty and torn. One of her hands was tightened around a Poke Ball and the other lay limply on her stomach.

The person was unmistakable.

"Ally."


-


The bright rays of the dying sun shone from the roof-high windows, casting a red glow on the room. The Pokemon Tower was the highest building in Lavender Town and, as Ed found out as the hours past, had the best view. The mountains cradled the bloody sunset with its jagged peaks and instead of being in awe of the sight, he could only feel depressed. Mountains reminded him of his mother as she loved mountains. A car ride could rarely go by without his mother telling him to look out the window to see the pretty mountains.

Ed brought his knees closer to his chest, ignoring his stomach's feeble growls.

He would rather be at home than trapped in a haunted tower. It was dinner time now and he was sure that his mom was serving dinner to everyone at that very moment. He wondered what they were eating. Maybe chicken, or pasta, or even pizza if his mom didn't feel like cooking. He could almost hear his mother's yell that would call everyone into the kitchen to dish up. His dad would enter the kitchen first, eager to eat, and then his brother would wander in from the computer room, hooking his cane to his chair before sitting down.

His mouth watered at the very thought. When his parents tried to stop him going on his journey, he put up a big fuss, but he knew that the one place he would rather be at that moment was home. His journey was fun at first as Leah never stopped him and Ally from eating junk food for dinner, but he sometimes forgot how much he liked a home cooked meal.

A voice came from behind him.

"Are you alright, Ed?"

Ed didn't turn around to face Fuji. "I'm fine," he muttered, even though his stomach growled again.

"Just hang in there," Fuji said, putting a hand on his back. "Help will be here soon."

'You said that on the first day,' Ed thought bitterly, but didn't voice. There was no point.

He heard Fuji sigh and the hand left his back. Ed turned his head and watched the man walk back to his office. Fuji had told him that he was trying to work out a solution, but any hope Ed had died hours ago.

The only reason they hadn't been taken by the ghosts was that the top floor of the tower was warded against them. The ghosts couldn't get in, but that didn't matter much when they couldn't get out. All the ghosts had to do was wait for them to die of starvation.

Ed felt tears prickling the corner of his eyes.

He thought that sneaking into Pokemon Tower would be an adventure, but it was anything but. He just wanted to forget those guys in black, forget that Marowak died, forget that they were trapped, forget that Ally was…

He just wanted to go home.

This wasn't an adventure anymore.

Swallowing down a lump in his throat, he wiped away any tears with his shirt. He didn't want to cry in front of people he didn't know, especially her.

Ed snuck a glance at the woman, who was huddled in a corner with her back pressed against the wall. She had taken off her black jacket, revealing a plain purple shirt, and had her head back with her eyes closed. The only movement she had done in hours was the continuous stroking of her Houndoom's head, who was pressed up against her side.

The Team Rocket woman killed Marowak and due to the situation, Ed was stuck in the room with her. After the first few heated hours, Ed had taken to ignoring her and the woman replicated the action. But that didn't mean that Ed wasn't angry. He was; he could feel the simmering anger underneath his hunger, but he couldn't make any use of it.

Ed had wanted to tie her up with Coralie or put her to sleep with Parasect, and it was for those reasons that the woman kept her Houndoom with her. Any attempts to do anything to her would be met with a Flamethrower, or so she said. So there was no other choice but to leave her alone. She made no attempts at conversation and Ed was glad for it. He didn't think he could keep himself from yelling, otherwise.

All three of them were trapped. If they tried to leave by the door, or even break the windows, the ghosts would be able to get in. Ed didn't know what the ghosts would do to them (though he remembered what they did to the woman's friends), and Fuji refused to let them find out.

So their only choice was to starve, hoping that rescue would come.

Ed looked out at the sunset again, trying not to bury his head in his knees.

All he could do was wait.


-


A/N: YES. IT IS DONE. I NEVER WANT TO SEE THIS CHAPTER AGAIN.

Anyways, let's see if I can get my schedule back on track. Hopefully, I should update again in three weeks.

 

[delongbi]

Yay, another chapter! I really like the way you've built up tension- showing everything from Leah's point of view and then switching to Ed's was extremely effective. I really, really liked the bit about Missingno and hope to see more about that in the future. Otherwise it'll seem like such an interesting explanation was wasted...

It might be really useful to put a little Previously in Mentor... blurb at the beginning of each chapter because although I remember bits and pieces of what is going on, I have a hard time following the whole thing. Anyway, nice chapter, keep up the great writing!

 

[Dagzar]

Heh, I've been trying to get Missingno in the story for a while now. I wanted to first mention it in chapter twenty-four as a scary story told by Leah to Ed and Ally (to make them paranoid and scared) but I just couldn't write it so I've had to wait until now to talk about him.

Yeah, maybe I should have put a Last Time on Mentor! blurb because of the three months in-between the updates. Even I was starting to forget what happened in the last chapter. If the update gap is ever that long again, I'll definitely put something before the chapter to do a little refresh.

 

[Dagzar]

Hey, I used to read this story a lot, and I still love it. I'm still hanging on every word, knowing that it will end soon. Ugh, it's so sad. Write more, MORE, MOAR!, I say!

I'm glad you still like the story! And don't feel sad, the end of the story is nowhere close. I currently have 5000 words of the next chapter written, but I'm barely half-way through the chapter so I'm not quite sure when it's going to come out. Hopefully soon.

 

[pikakip]

Ah.... I really need to stop taking such long breaks from PC. This site is one of the greatest things i've ever seen. As is mentor. These last two chapters were great Dagzar. The missingno. bit made me chuckle a bit-not because it was funny, but because I didn't think there would be a way for it to get into this story- and I liked how you gave us a little more insight into the life of Ashley. I feel a bit bad for her now, and I can also relate. My parents are divorced and my mom can be really strict while my dad can be... Not strict at all. Also, what exactly was that...thing chasing Leah? It sounds like a Haunter, but at the same time it doesn't... wait, Black, Ghost, White eyes, Open mouth.... Quick Leah, GRAB YOUR SILPH SCOPE!
No but seriously, is it the ghost that you see if you don't have the silph scope? (http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l688gqYGuD1qzpbds.gif)

also, OHMAIGAWD ALLY'S INJURED! It seems like something really dangerous attacked her... and how did she get out of the tower? weird... Ed's little bit was kind of insightful. it really just told us what we already knew: Ed, Mr. Fuji and the team rocket (Admin?) have been stuck in the tower for a few days with no way out.

I'm kind of disappointed that there was no Sands TWO CHAPTERS IN A ROW! (I'm joking btw) Anyway, I'm guseeing that the Evolution plot hole had something to do with the "all pokemon evolve eventually" rule and the fact that Blue's Scyther never actually evolved? I have a feeling that I'm wrong here, but that's the only thing I could really think of... Wow, I have to go back and re-read this, I'm having difficulty remembering details.

Anyway, Great as always Dagzar! I'm looking forward to the next chapter!

 

[Dagzar]

Hey pikakip! Thanks for reviewing!

Also, what exactly was that...thing chasing Leah? It sounds like a Haunter, but at the same time it doesn't... wait, Black, Ghost, White eyes, Open mouth.... Quick Leah, GRAB YOUR SILPH SCOPE!
No but seriously, is it the ghost that you see if you don't have the silph scope? (http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l688gqYGuD1qzpbds.gif)

Yup, the black ghost is based off that particular sprite. I hated those things when I was little because they always made me uneasy… Not as uneasy as the old school Lavender Town theme, of course, but it was close.

I'm kind of disappointed that there was no Sands TWO CHAPTERS IN A ROW! (I'm joking btw)

Sands will be in the next chapter; I promise. :D

Anyway, I'm guseeing that the Evolution plot hole had something to do with the "all pokemon evolve eventually" rule and the fact that Blue's Scyther never actually evolved?

You're half right, but the rule only applies to level-based evolutions. Any that need items, happiness, or trade are exempt (so the Scyther is fine). It's actually William's Pokemon that go against the rule since it's fairly obvious that his Squirtle is at a fairly high level and William even said he keeps his Pokemon from evolving. I'll probably do something about this later, but for now, his Pokemon can be considered haxed.

Next chapter should be out this week. It's nearly finished and it somehow got to be over 10k words. I'm not sure how it happened, but at least you guys will get a long, fat update soon enough.

 

[Dagzar]

Mentor

Chapter 52: Ally​

"... I don't get what's going on," Zach said, leaning back in the computer chair. "The Storage System should be working."

"There's nothing you can do?" Chandelle asked.

"No, nothing. Though, it's been a while since I tinkered with computers."

Chandelle gave the computer a cold look over Zach's shoulder. She didn't have much experience with computers, so if the only tech-savvy person she could find didn't know what to do, then she too was at a loss.

It was unfortunate that the storage system chose this time to stop working. Very unfortunate, considering the circumstances. Even though her whole situation seemed shrouded in unknowns, she very much doubted that this was a coincidence. She knew it was odd behavior for something as big as a storage system to stop working suddenly. Adding to that, the phone lines were also down, but the television was still fine.

It was all very odd and she was discomforted to admit that she didn't want to stay in Lavender Town another night.

She had been a trainer for nine straight years and she couldn't remember the last time she had been afraid to stay in a town. But everything that happened since she first stepped foot into Lavender was making her uneasy. She didn't like it when things started to act unpredictably, especially Pokemon. Animals and Pokemon sensed danger much earlier than humans and when they began acting strangely, their behavior were signs of bad things to come.

If something were to happen, she wanted no part of it.

"When did you find out the system wasn't working?" Zach asked, staring at the screen.

"Around noon."

"Well, it was working fine yesterday. I could access it then. Were you trying to withdraw a Pokemon?"

"Yes."

"Then maybe it's only the withdrawal that's not working," he suggested. "How about we try depositing a Pokemon to see if that works."

It was a foolish suggestion and Chandelle had no qualms about voicing it.

"Are you offering?"

Zach hesitated, finally shaking his head.

Since the computer was proving useless, Chandelle approached the Pokemon Storage System again, swiping her trainer card and putting in the password for her account. Though no matter how many times she tried, she was unable to withdraw any of her Pokemon.

Even if it was too late to regret, she did wish she withdrew a stronger Pokemon when she had the chance. While her Rotom was a versatile ally, she was still only one Pokemon and if she went up against a Pokemon higher than level four, then Chandelle couldn't even guess what would happen. She did always have that Magneton she caught, but she had yet to even send it out of its ball and while it could prove useful, she didn't want to use an untrained Pokemon.

It would have been nice to have her Garchomp with her…

Either way, it would be a good idea to begin keeping her Rotom out all the time. If something did attack, she might not have the time to reach for a Poke Ball.

The only thing that made Chandelle feel better about the situation was that she wasn't alone. It had been a while since she travelled with someone and she had forgotten the feeling of having someone always at your back. Leah wouldn't have been her first choice for a companion since her Pokemon were weak and her physical capabilities could have been better, but she didn't hesitate when she had to act, which really made all the difference.

"What Pokemon do you have with you?" she asked Zach, thinking it was a good idea to start categorizing the Pokemon they had. She knew Leah's and Ashley's, but Zach and Natalie were the unknowns.

"Charmeleon and Nuzleaf," he said. "Both of them are in-training."

The 'in-training' wasn't the best sign, but both Pokemon's typing could be useful. "I suggest you keep them with you," Chandelle warned.

"Yeah, I got that." Zach sighed, rubbing his head. "Damn, now I wish I withdrew something strong yesterday. Nuzleaf can decimate ghosts, but he's only at level three. Is Rotom your only Pokemon?"

"Mostly," Chandelle said and she was going to ask about Natalie, but the door to the room burst open and Leah appeared, looking harried.

"Either of you got medical knowledge or something?" she asked quickly. She appeared out of breath, as if she had been looking everywhere for them.

Zach stood. "Only basic; what's wrong?"

"I have a problem. Come on!"

With that vague statement, Leah rushed out the door as quickly as she came in. Zach ran after her with Chandelle following at his heels. She didn't know why Leah was in such disarray but she'd be a fool not to find out.


-


Leah was the first one back to the empty room she had put Ally in. Since the Pokemon Center was nearly empty, she didn't think the nurses would mind if she borrowed a room for a while. It was small and its beds were stripped of sheets but it would do.

Natalie and Ashley looked up as she entered, the older of the two bent kneeling beside the bed Ally laid on.

"Is she okay?" Leah asked.

"I'm not a trained professional," Natalie said. "There might be something wrong with her that I can't see, but as far as I can tell, she's not seriously injured. No broken bones or anything."

"What's going on?" Zach asked, standing at Natalie's side and looking over Ally.

"Leah's friend is injured."

"What happened to her?"

Leah sighed. That was the question, wasn't it? "I don't know," she said. "Some guys found her."

"Let me see," Chandelle ordered from the doorway.

Natalie looked up. "You have medical knowledge?"

"Only things I've picked up…" She looked at Leah. "Does she have any prior medical conditions?"

"Uh… I don't know," Leah said, rubbing the back of her head. "We're not that close."

"Is she sleeping?" Ashley asked, keeping her distance from the girl.

Since Ally didn't wake up despite the way Leah carried her to the hospital room, she doubted it.

"I think she's just unconscious."

"Did you question the people who found her?" Chandelle asked, getting down to business as she inspected Ally though narrowed eyes.

"Yeah. They found her out near route eight, past Pokemon Tower."

"Has she woken up at all?"

"No."

"How long has it been since they found her?"

"Maybe half-an-hour or so?"

Chandelle looked at the girl with a frown. "… You would think she would have woken up by now," she said.

"Maybe she hit her head?" Natalie suggested.

"If she was knocked unconscious, she should have been awake again in minutes," Chandelle said quietly. "To be unconscious this long suggests brain damage."

Those words sent a cold feeling up Leah's spine and she shoved her hands in her pockets, trying not to fidget.

"Is there a hospital here?" Zach asked, directing it at Ashley.

"There's a clinic…"

"It's late," Natalie said. "It is even open?"

Ashley shook her head.

"I don't know."

Leah glanced up at the clock. "It's only seven-thirty," she said. "It could be open. We… could carry her."

"It's on the other side of town," Ashley said softly.

Leah wasn't sure how big Lavender Town was, but she could tell from Ashley's voice it was too far away.

"… Then what are we supposed to do?" she asked, trying to think up a solution. She thought most of her troubles ended when Ally was found, but all the talk of brain damage and the fact that she wouldn't wake up with making her nervous. Seriously, didn't Lavender Town have a hospital or something? They had a Pokemon Center and that was basically a hospital for Pokemon, so why not one for humans?

"Maybe there's a Chansey around here?" Zach suggested.

"I haven't seen any," Chandelle said.

"Maybe someone who works here is a doctor," Leah said. "If we could find someone-"

Natalie shook her head. "The anatomy of Pokemon and humans are really different. I'm not sure that would work." She frowned. "Besides, have you guys noticed that there's not many people around here? I mean, not just trainers, but not many workers either. The only person I've really seen around here is the girl up at the front desk."

"For a small town like this, it's not surprising that the Pokemon Center is understaffed," Chandelle said. "Pokemon Centers are mostly comprised of volunteers and only certified doctors are paid for their work here. Even then, the pay for that sort of job isn't very good."

"You know a lot about Pokemon Centers," Zach said.

"My mother used to work at the Eterna Pokemon Center in Sinnoh. It isn't a job most people would want to do."

So, hospitals were out, clinics were closed, and Pokemon Center's seemed to be useless. What was left? How were they supposed to deal with something like this on their own?

"Will a psychic-type help?" Leah asked. "I`ve been training my Drowzee to read the emotions off of things. She`s never done it on a human before, but do you think it could find the problem?"

Zach slowly nodded. "It could work. Try it."

Enlarging Zee's Poke Ball, Leah released her Drowzee at her side.

"Zee," Leah said, directing her Pokemon's attention to Ally. "Can you tell what's wrong with her?"

Zee hesitated, looking at the girl's still form. Then, she extended a hand, focusing on Ally. After a moment of thought, Leah put her palm on her Drowzee's head, closing her eyes so that she could properly follow her Pokemon's progress. She didn't do it too often as she had no interest in knowing what emotions were attached to a book or something, but she had recently discovered that she could piggyback on Zee's psychic abilities with physical contact.

As always, it felt strange, like she suddenly had a sixth sense that had always been there but she didn't notice. A tendril of what could only be called 'will' extended from Zee and prodded at Ally.

Even if she had never 'read' a human before, Leah, along with Zee, could tell that something was wrong. It was hard to describe. There was a void around Ally, colorless and silent. It didn't react to Zee, but Leah felt her Pokemon's uneasiness. The void wasn't supposed to be there. No matter how much the Drowzee poked at the girl, nothing happened. No thoughts or feelings came from her, not even from her subconscious mind.

Finally, Zee strained her control and tried to shove inside Ally's mind. For a moment, there was nothing, and then a well of emotions, deeper than the ocean's floor, hit her like a sky train.

Someone screamed but Leah didn't realize it was her until she had fallen backwards, breaking her link with Zee. She huddled on the floor, putting her hands over her ears as her head pounded, each throb feeling like someone was hitting her with a hammer again and again and again. She felt as if was drowning in unfamiliar emotions; she could barely think, her head hurt so much. Everything else was muted and intangible, like it was a part of a different world. She could barely feel someone grab her arms, and the words that they were speaking sound like garbled whispers.

Never in all her life had she felt such… hate.

Not when Tash was saying mean things behind her back. Not when Harvey didn't tell her he was moving until he was gone. Not when Cienan or Megan or Vicky went to become trainers and left her behind. Not when her grandmother missed her birthday againand never helped her and was never there. Not when it was storming and she was a trainer and Sands wouldn't listen and wouldn't help. Not when her parents went out one night and promised they would be back but they lied.

Never.

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never

never.

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground with Zach and Natalie leaning over her.

"You alright?" Zach asked, helping her sit up.

Leah winced at the voice, wishing he would be more quiet. Her head still pounded, but it wasn't even close to the migraine it had been before.

"W- What happened?" she asked, accepting the glass of water Natalie handed over.

"You fainted."

Frowning, Leah shook her head, trying to shake off the dizziness. She fainted? That had never happened before...

As she stared into her cup, watching the water vibrate from the shakiness of her hands, she suddenly had the impression that the walls were closing in on her. The room was too small and the air was sweltering, only increasing the sudden tightness of her clothes. Her breaths came out in pants and a trickle of sweat dripped down her cheek.

"She doesn't look too good," Natalie was saying, her worried voice at the back of Leah's mind.

"Did you see how she reacted? I'm surprised she's not freaking out more," Zach said.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked.

"Be quiet, all of you," Chandelle snapped, her voice cutting through the others.

All the voices fell silent and Leah took the time to take a gulp of the water. It was like ice, and she shivered as she felt the coldness slip down her throat and spread to her limbs. It felt good so she tipped back the cup and drank it all.

The cold gave her back some clarity and she took in a few deep breaths as she tugged at the collar of her shirt. She waved off Zach's hand, and slowly rose to her feet, her limbs feeling like weights. A bit of dizziness hit her once she stood all the way up and her vision blurred, but she closed her eyes until it passed.

"How long was I … out for?" Leah asked.

"Only a few seconds," Natalie said. "Do you want more water?"

Leah shook her head, trying not to look in Ally's direction. She studied the ground with fake interest and her eyes wandered to a gold and brown Pokemon on the floor.

She felt her face pale. If she had fainted just by getting a glimpse of the thing in Ally's head, then what about Zee, who must have taken the full blast from that thing?

She was at her Pokemon's side in an instant, pulling the Drowzee's head onto her lap as she tried to see what was wrong with her. Zee's eyes were closed, but seemed to be breathing fine.

"She's just unconscious," Chandelle said.

Leah didn't find any relief in those words as she ran a hand down her Pokemon's trunk, which didn't even twitch at the ticklish action.

"I'm taking her to the nurse," she said quietly, returning her Drowzee to her Poke Ball and getting to her feet.

Zach motioned to the unconscious form of Ally. "What about …?"

"I'll only be a minute," Leah insisted, not looking in the girl's direction.

She slipped out of the room and went to the lobby of the Pokemon Center, holding Zee's Poke Ball tightly. After giving her Pokemon to the nurse at the front desk (and insisting that the Drowzee get a full check-up), Leah was about to go back to the others when she paused.

Other than the nurse, the lobby was empty and silent. The guys who found Ally weren't around and the television was turned off with the remote set neatly on the table. The blinds were closed and it was only through the glass door that the outside could be seen.

Leah approached the door slowly, and peered outside. It was already dark out and the porch light stopped any attempts from seeing anything beyond the entranceway. There didn't seem to be anything out there, but…

"When do you lock up?" Leah asked the nurse.

"About eleven, usually," she said. "Though I doubt there's going to be anyone else coming in tonight."

Taking one last glance at the door (eyes straying towards the lock), Leah went back to the small room where the others were gathered.

They were still in the same positions from when she left and they looked up at her appearance.

"Dropped your Drowzee off okay?" Zach asked.

"Yeah."

A silence fell, and the others glanced at each other as if deciding who would make the first move.

Chandelle was the one who spoke up. "Did you see something?" she asked Leah.

'See' wasn't the right word, but Leah knew what she meant. She sighed, not knowing exactly what to say.

"… There's a ghost in her."

"What?"

"She's possessed?" Natalie said, aghast. "H- How are we supposed to get it out?"

Zach crossed his arms, looking worried. "I've never seen a case of possession before. I've heard about it, but I've never seen it."

"Are you sure she's possessed?" Chandelle asked sharply.

"Yeah, there's… there's something there that's not supposed to be."

Leah had only 'scanned' Ally for the briefest of seconds, but that was enough to know that something was not right. The emotions that were in her… there was no way they came from her. She honestly couldn't see anyone holding those types of emotions. How could anyone hate so much? It was just…

But it wasn't only emotions she got. There was a presence in Ally's mind, something separate from her; something not natural.

"I didn't know ghosts could possess people…" Ashley said, moving a few steps away from Ally. "I mean, objects, yeah, but people?"

"… It's not a Pokemon," Leah said.

"What do you mean?"

Leah looked away. "It's not… It's not like it's a ****ing Gastly or something. Whatever that is, it's not a Pokemon or an animal- it's pure evil."

Evil wasn't a term Leah used lightly, but she didn't know how else to describe it. Whatever was possessing Ally was so filled with hate that it didn't seem to have any other emotions. It was like it only existed to cause pain and misery.

"Is it like the ghost from last night?" Zach asked.

"I don't- maybe?"

Natalie exchanged a glance with Zach. "How are we supposed to get it out of her?" she asked. "Does anyone know anything about Pokemon possession?"

Leah shook her head, feeling frustrated. "Does that matter? It's not a Pokemon!"

"We need all the information we can get," Chandelle said. "Even if it proves useless, this situation is delicate. We should only act once we acquire all the information possible."

That was true, but still… Leah wasn't sure how it would help. Either way, she found herself saying, "My grandmother is an expert on ghost Pokemon. Only certain species can possess things and I've never heard of one being able to possess a human. Ghosts just don't have the willpower or the intelligence to possess someone. I mean, it's different to possess an object with no will of its own than a human, which is like ten times as intelligent as a ghost."

Chandelle looked like she was thinking.

"How would you go about in exorcizing a ghost?"

"I don't really know," Leah groaned. "People don't get possessed!"

"If it were an object?"

"Foresight, I guess. Maybe have another ghost try to push the other ghost out. A psychic-type might help."

"Does anyone have a Noctowl?" Natalie asked. "I know they have Foresight."

Zach frowned. "Nat, doesn't Furret knows Foresight?"

Natalie blinked. "Oh, it does, doesn't it?" She went to her belt and enlarged a completely white Poke Ball with a red ring around the middle. "Go, Furret!"

The Pokemon that was released was a stocky creature with a long fluffy body with brown fur and rings around its tail. Even with the current situation as is, Ashley couldn't help but kneel down before the Pokemon with a smile.

"It's adorable," she said, petting its head to the Pokemon's purring pleasure.

"I never use Foresight," Natalie mused out loud. "It's only really useful against ghosts so I keep forgetting about it."

"Does Furret even remember it?" Zach asked.

Natalie clicked her tongue, the long-bodied Pokemon instantly coming to its trainer's side. "She's young; I'm sure she does," she said.

"Have it use Foresight on the girl," Chandelle said, reaching to her belt.

Natalie looked at her.

"Then what will we do then? Once it's revealed?"

"I'll deal with it," Chandelle said coolly, holding out her own Poke Ball. "Em!"

The Rotom-M materialized, floating in the air with a green glow around its body.

Zach nodded and said, "I'll send Charmeleon out as well for backup… What's wrong with your Rotom?"

For the first time since Leah saw it, the Rotom-M was not smiling. Its usual grin was upside down and it didn't make a sound as it floated motionlessly. The green glow that was holding it afloat flickered and pulsed, and the lightning bolt in front of the lawn mower was starting to wisp and blur.

"Em?"

Chandelle looked confused as she moved closer, putting her hands around the orange lawn mower and pulling it down to take a closer look.

From the angle Leah was standing, she was the only one who saw the Rotom's green eyes turn red.

"Chandelle-"

"Em!" Chandelle gasped as the lawn mower dropped like a weight, making her bend over as she tried to support it. The eyes, mouth, and glow around the machine vanished as the now formless ghost Pokemon rose into the air. The green and orange mutated mess shifted, rearranging itself as the green turned a blue-ish white and a light bulb shape started to emerge. But even as it transformed, the ghost-type jerked forward, like it was forcing itself- right towards Ally.

Zach was the first one to react. "Charmeleon!" he yelled, throwing the Poke Ball between the ghost and the girl. "Flash!"

The crimson-skinned lizard stood on its feet, claws flexing, as it swished its tail towards the Rotom, the fire on the tip turning white.

Leah was do busy rushing to Ally's side to prepare herself for the burst of light. The flash hit her hard, and she mentally swore as she closed her eyes and dropped to one knee next to Ally's still form, gripping the side of the bed. Even as she did so, her hand went to Sands' Poke Ball, despite knowing that he couldn't do much against a ghost.

The light seemed to last for minutes, and when it died down, Leah looked up to see everyone else in similar positions of pain. The Rotom didn't look like it was fairing well, as it was on the other side of the room in a shapeless mess on the floor.

Leah had seen ghosts react to light just as badly, but she had never seen them start to bubble black puss.

"Em, return!" Chandelle shouted. For a moment, it didn't look like the red beam of light was going to be able to pull the Rotom into its Poke Ball, but the Pokemon dematerialized, black gunk and all.

Her hand shaking, Chandelle lowered her arm and looked at the Poke Ball, expressionless.

"What just happened?" Leah asked while checking on Ally. She didn't seem to have been disturbed at all, but you never know.

"That was not natural," Zach said quietly, giving his Charmeleon a well-earned pat.

"Has your Rotom ever acted like that?" Natalie asked Chandelle.

"… No, never," Chandelle whispered. "She's… never behaved that way."

While Leah could have though up hundreds of reasons why Rotom acted out like that, even she had a hard time convincing herself that it wasn't related to situation at hand. True, the ghosts of Lavender Town were acting weird… Actually, she had yet to see a true ghost in Lavender; only those black ghosts were floating around. Gastly, Haunter, and the more foreign ghost types- they had completely disappeared. You`d think that they wouldn`t be too pleased with these new ghosts roaming around as they liked, but they hadn`t once appeared.

"Where are the ghosts?" Leah asked out loud, and at confused looks, added, "Gastly and Haunter. I haven't seen any since coming here."

"The ghosts only at come out at night," Zach said. "And I'm pretty sure they don't wander into buildings."

"They sometimes do," Ashley said. "But only in dark buildings. They hate light."

Natalie frowned. "You know, now that you mention it, I haven't seen any at all. Only those new ghosts. I went out the first night me and Zach came here and even though the weather was good and I kept near Pokemon Tower, I didn't see any."

"You could of missed them," Ashley said. "They're invisible in the dark."

She shook her head.

"No, no, I've been here before. I even caught a Gastly. Back then, the ghosts wouldn't leave me alone. They kept appearing out of nowhere, scaring me, and making me trip. It was like some kind of game to them."

"Ghost-types aren't like other wild Pokemon," Leah said. "They like bothering humans. I've never met an anti-social ghost."

"Maybe the ghosts got driven out by these new ghosts," Natalie said. "They do seem pretty, uh, violent."

Ashley shot down that idea. "I would have heard about if the ghosts disappeared," she protested. "The ghosts are pretty much the only tourism we get."

"If the ghosts did leave then this would have to occurred pretty recently," Leah said. "Maybe it's somehow the cause of the lockdown?"

"They must be linked," Chandelle said softly, making everyone turn to her. "It's too much of a coincidence for it not to be."

Everything came down to Pokemon Tower and it's recent lockdown and there were only three people that could tell them what was going on. Fuji and Ed were still missing but Ally was here. She was unconscious, but if they could just wake her up…

"We need to wake up Ally," Leah said. "She was there when the tower locked down; she should be able to tell us what's going on."

"Right," Zach asked, folding his arms. "But if we don't have a ghost, what are we going to do?"

"Foresight will force the thing to reveal itself," Leah said. "If it doesn't come out, we'll just go find another trainer with psychic-type. We can't be the only ones here."

"What if the ghost attacks us?" Ashley asked.

"We'll destroy it," Leah said, shaking her head to ward off her sleepiness. This was no time to be tired. She needed to give the situation her full attention.

She looked around, noting the Pokemon that were out. If things worked out, only Zach's Charmeleon would be needed, and she doubted that Natalie's Furret or Ashley's Zubat (as useless as it was) would be needed. However, she wasn't sure what the thing in Ally's head could do. She was assuming it was one of those black ghosts, but she wasn't sure and if she was wrong, they were dealing with a totally unknown Pokemon… Well, the ghost was unknown, but at least it acted like a ghost and hated light.

Either way, they needed more backup. Better safe than sorry.

'Please behave,' Leah mentally begged, grabbing the only Pokemon she had left.

"Go, Sands!"

Her Sandslash looked around, a growl starting at the back of his throat. He eyed all the people, puffing his spiked back up as a warning.

"I don't care what Pokemon you have on you," Leah said. "Send them out, just in case."

"I have Zu-Zu," Ashley gave out.

Natalie nodded. "Got it. Go, Ivysaur!"

"He's kind of weak right now," Zach said, taking out his own ball, "but at least he has a type advantage. Let's go, Nuzleaf!"

Both Pokemon appeared in front of their trainers. While the Ivysaur was familiar enough, the other was definitely wasn't from around Kanto. Its skin was brown and wood-like, and it had a long nose, like Pinocchio. If it wasn't for the leaf coming out of its head, it wouldn't even come up to Zach's knee.

While an Ivysaur and whatever-the-other-thing-was would help, that was still only six Pokemon from five trainers.

"No other Pokemon?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Leah sighed. Well, she supposed that was good enough. "Alright," she said, making sure she was far away from Ally. "Get ready."

Ashley held up her hands. "Wait, wait, do we need a giant battle for this? Can't we just use Charmeleon's Flash?"

"We need to get that thing out of her," Leah said. "If there's too much light, it's probably just going to dive back into her at the first opportunity. We need to get it away from her first."

Zach turned to the blond and added, "Charmeleon can't do such a bright flash too many times in a row, anyways."

"Wait," Natalie said, holding out a hand, looking at Leah. "What if this hurts your friend?"

"… She'll have to deal with a little discomfort," Leah said, squashing down her worry. There was no time to lose. "That thing is evil and I want it out of her right now."

Chandelle took her switch knife out of her pocket and flipped it open, going to stand at the very back while Ashley took a position beside Leah. Natalie stood by the door, Zach in front of her, and at Leah's signal, Natalie turned off the light, plunging the room into blackness.

Leah could hear Ashley's breathing and when a small hand grasped the sleeve of her jacket, she didn't mention it, instead keeping her eyes on the spot where Ally lied.

"Furret," Natalie called out. "Foresight!"

As the Furret's eyes turned red, Leah felt her breath catch. Red light shone out of the normal-type's eyes, enveloping Ally. It was deathly silent in the room, everyone waiting for something to happen. The seconds that ticked by felt like minutes.

Then Ally moaned. Her head turned, away from the light, black hair falling over her face. Her arm jerked, and that was the only warning they got before the girl's whole body seized up.

Leah felt herself take a step forward. She wanted to yell at Natalie to stop with the light, that they'd wait, but she held herself back, nails digging into her palms.

As fast as it started, Ally's body went relaxed, one of her arms falling off the bed and hanging there limply. In the red light, a black mist started to pool from the girl's mouth

"I see something!" Ashley whispered, the silence in the room allowing everyone to hear it.

In the red light, a black mist started to pool from the girl's mouth, ears, and nose. It gathered above her head, pulsing and wiggling. As the last bit of mist joined the mass, the ghost reshaped itself in a pitch black Haunter-like Pokemon with claws and white eyes.

"It's out," Zach said.

"Wait until it goes away from Ally before you attack," Leah commanded.

"What about the lights?"

"Wait until it's away from Ally."

The ghost didn't seem perturbed about the talking going around it. It simply floated there, white eyes burning pink in the light. Finally, it floated higher until it was out of the red light completely, being invisible in the darkness.

"Lights!"

Zach flipped the switch, the lights turning on with all their radiance. The ghost froze, ducking to the ground by Ally.

"Sands, Swift!" Leah exclaimed. "Get it away from Ally!"

Sands glanced towards her for a few moments before doing as she commanded and firing star-shaped white projectiles towards the ghost. However, by that time, the ghost had already moved, flying towards the Pokemon that formed a semi-circle around it.

"Charmeleon, Dragon Rage!"

"Ivysaur, Razor Leaf!"

"Go, Zu-Zu! Use Supersonic!"

Furret reared back, the red light fading as it jumped out of the way, long body arching, as blue fire and sharp green leaves flew past it. The ghost partially dodged the flames, any burns it did get not affecting it in the least, while the leaves cut through the ghost, turning it into the mist. But the mist reformed, any damage repaired, and the ghost grinned its white smile. It veered out of the path of the blue rings of the Supersonic, and then held out its claws, the appendages blurring and glowing shades of blue and pink.

"Nuzleaf, Fake Out!"

The wood-like Pokemon darted forwards, bringing its hands up, and the ghost focused on it. Suddenly, the ghost's hands exploded in a blast of colorful light and the Nuzleaf tripped as the light enveloped it. The Pokemon shook on the ground, seizing, until the light faded and it laid still.

"Was that a Night Shade?" Natalie asked.

"It beat Nuzleaf!" Zach said in horror. "In one hit!"

"Sands," Leah said. "Poison Sting! Stay away from it!"

Sands shot out a hail of purple needles from his mouth, but the ghost dodged them and zipped towards the ground-type, its claws starting to glow.

"Get out of there!"

Not needing to be told, the Sandslash got out of the way and took refuge near a wall.
Leah only hoped it was far enough away that the Night Shade couldn't grab hold. Wondering what she should command next (Sands' move pool was a bit limited in regards to long distance moves), she was so busy paying attention to Sands that she didn't notice the ghost turning its attention to her.

She wasn't alone, however, as Ashley grabbed her wrist and nearly pulled Leah off her feet with a desperate tug.

"Move!"

Leah nearly tripped over her feet in her haste to get going, pushing past Ashley and dragging the blond along instead. The ghost ignored Zu-Zu's Supersonic attempts as it focused on the two girls, outstretching its claw and allowing the colorful light to explode outward.

"Ivysaur!"

The grass-type bounded forward, its vines grabbing Leah and Ashley's ankles and pulling them out from under them, forcing them to the ground and letting the colorful light pass over their heads. Other vines whipped towards the ghost in a mass assault. Even with its versatility, the ghost couldn't dodge them all and one of them hit it right in the face, slamming it backwards through the air.

"Get it, Charmeleon!" Zach exclaimed, the direct hit against the ghost encouraging him.

Charmeleon raced forward, scaled feet slapping against the floor, and its claws lighting up with a white glow. Dazed, the ghost didn't have time to counterattack when the claws pierced its ghostly form, ripping it apart.

As the black mist tried to swirl back together, Natalie called out, "Foresight, Stun Spore!"

The mist seemed to panic as it was bathed in red light, withering and trying to dart between Charmeleon's claws to get out of the attack, despite the Furret's stubbornness in keeping the spotlight on it. Yellow spores joined the fray as Ivysaur directed them around the mist, the Stun Spore and the black mist mixing in a frenzied tornado.

Finally, the mist slowed and floated to the ground, quiet and docile in the cloud of spores.

Leah got her feet, keeping an eye on the shredded ghost. Ashley joined her, and Zach and Natalie approached the ghost, but stayed well behind their Pokemon.

"I think we got it," Zach said, looking at it closely. "It's not really moving."

"But it is moving," Natalie argued. "Look, it's trying to get back together still."

It was very slow, but the mist was drifting closer together.

Zach sighed. "Well, if it does get back together, at least it'll be paralyzed."

"We shouldn't let it get back together," Chandelle said, joining the group from her place at the back. "We don't know what it's truly capable of."

"It took out your Nuzleaf with one Night Shade," Leah added quietly. "It must be really strong if it can do that."

"Then how are we supposed to contain this thing?" Zach asked. "If it won't stop-"

"Are you absolutely sure that it's not a Pokemon?" Chandelle asked Leah.

Leah shook her head. "It doesn't think like one," she said, "but… it's using Pokemon moves."

Chandelle took out a spare Poke Ball from her pocket and enlarged it as she approached the ghost.

With a bit of unease, Leah said, "Be careful."

Nodding, Chandelle used an underhand throw to toss the ball gently in the air. It landed in the middle of the mist and opened, sucking in the black mist, spores and all. Clicking shut, the ball rocked back and forth, once, twice, and three times before rolling still.

"Oh, thank god," Natalie said, her shoulders slumping.

"What are you going to do with it?" Leah asked Chandelle as the older girl picked up the Poke Ball.

"I don't know," she replied quietly. "I'll deal with it later."

Leah watched her for a moment before shaking her head and making her way over to Ally. Even though the battle was over, she still felt on edge, and her hands shook as she brushed black hair out of Ally's face. As she did so, the girl's eyes flickered, making her pull her hand back as if burned.

"She's waking up!" she said over her shoulder. "Someone go get her a glass of water!"

Natalie hopped to it as Chandelle knelt beside Leah and sat Ally up, the girl's head rolling to the side as she moaned.

"Ally," Leah said.

The girl opened her eyes, looking out of it and confused. She opened her mouth and coughed, leaning on Chandelle as she shakily brought her hand to her mouth.

Natalie reappeared with the water and Chandelle took it, holding it to Ally's mouth with the order, "Drink slowly."

Ally did so, taking a couple of minutes to finish the glass. When she was done, she looked past Leah and over the unfamiliar faces.

"E- Ed…?"

"I don't know where Ed is," Leah said. "Some people found you at the side of the road."

Ally still looked confused, but she didn't ask anymore questions, only laying there and digesting the information. She still look tried and worn, and Leah suddenly realized that if she had been under possession for the past two days, she probably hadn't eaten.

Leah turned to Zach. "Can you go get her something to eat?"

"What should I get her?"

"Something soft," Chandelle said.

Zach disappeared and reappeared in record time, bringing with him several food items from the vending machine.

"Cafeteria's closed," he announced, dumping the food on the bed. "I got some stuff that looked soft, though some of it is candy. Also," He popped the lid on a can of coke and gave it to Ally, "sugar should help increase energy."

Ally drank the coke and silently helped herself to the softer food items. The harder stuff was passed around, Leah reluctantly accepting some as she needed the energy and it didn't look like she'd be getting to sleep anytime soon. After everything was either eaten or put away for later consumption, Leah volunteered herself to help Ally get cleaned up. Since Ally wasn't volunteering her room number (or even looking like she was paying attention), Leah took her to her own room.

"Do you need help?" she asked while showing Ally the bathroom.

Ally didn't say anything so Leah mentally sighed and was about to leave her to it when she heard:

"D- don't go..."

"Do you need help?" she repeated.

Shaking her head, Ally looked away from her.

"J- Just don't…"

Leah understood. "Alright."

As the shower was running, Leah kept her back turned and her eyes on the door. Soon, the room steamed up, becoming warm and humid. By fifteen minutes in, the shower was still running and any movement or splashing by Ally had stopped. Leah finally broke the silence and asked, "Are you alright?"

It wasn't meant to be an indication to hurry up, but Ally seemed to take it as such.

"S- Sorry."

"No, take as long as you want," Leah quickly said. "I don't have anything else to do."

Leah heard the nozzle being turned but instead of turning off, the steam coming off the shower only grew warmer.

"… What happened?" Ally asked, her quiet voice echoing in the bathroom.

"You don't remember?"

There was a splash. "No," she said. "Why are you here? I- I don't understand…"

Even before Leah knew that Ed and Ally were still in Lavender Town, she wondered what she would say to them when they asked her that question. She had travelled with them for three and a half months, always putting them down. She made fun of their Pokemon, their dreams, and trainers themselves. And now after they left, here she was, travelling of her own free will with an interest in being a real trainer again.

What could she say?

"There's no point in going back to Pallet Town," she started, "so I decided to keep going. I'm heading to Saffron. I was just going to cut through Lavender but… you guys were missing so I decided to stick around for a while."

"You found me…?"

"Some guys did, at the side of the road. You were… asleep and… weird." It seemed like a good opportunity of any, so Leah asked, "What do you remember?"

"… I- I don't… really remember," Ally said and paused. "I- I want to get out now."

Leah didn't let disappointment show in her voice. "Alright."

The bathroom wasn't very big, so Leah stood outside the bathroom with the door partially shut while Ally dried off. The coolness of the bedroom was like a slap in the face and she shivered a bit, glad the temperature was warding off her sleepiness.

After a while, Ally poked her head out of the bathroom, clutching a towel around her body and hair dripping.

"I- I don't have any clothes…"

"Do you have your room key? I can go get some."

Ally disappeared briefly only to come back and handed a key to Leah.

"Do you want pajamas or regular clothes?" Leah asked as she went to the door.

"W- Wait!" Ally opened the door fully. "I'll come!"

Leah shook her head. "In a towel? No, stay here."

"But…" Ally wilted under Leah's stare. "I- I don't want to be alone."

Leah considered going through Ashley's clothes and giving Ally some of hers for now, but Leah wasn't sure if they'd fit. She could get someone else go get Ally's clothes but they were practically on the other side of the Pokemon Center and she wasn't sure if they'd hear her even if she yelled.

Maybe Sands could go to the others carrying a note in his mouth? … No, knowing her luck he'd just end up getting kidnapped or something.

Oh, wait a minute.

"Why don't you let out Amber and-" Maybe having a aggressive bomb Pokemon out wasn't the best idea. "-Yeah, Amber. Send him out and let him keep you company."

Even with the suggestion, Ally still looked nervous, so Leah set Sands' Poke Ball on the bed. After further thought, the Fire Stone joined it.

"If you want Sands, here he is too. If you send him out, just stay away from him, don't touch him, and let him chew on the Fire Stone or something. I'll be right back."

The trip to get clothes wasn't the most exciting, though Leah did almost have a heart attacked half-way up the stairs when she realized that she had no Pokemon with her and was completely defenseless if a ghost decided to attack. The rest of the trip was spent looking around corners and jumping at every shadow and sound, but she fortunately made it back to her room in one piece.

Amongst the pile of clothes she gave her, Ally chose her day clothes with the explanation that "she didn't feel tired".

Two weeks of separation apparently didn't erase Amber's memory of Leah as the fire-type greeted her with a cheerful yelp before promptly ignoring her and leaning against Ally's body. The opposite proved to be the same as Sands, who had claimed Leah's bed in the name of his Fire Stone, didn't even growl at Ally whenever the girl glanced in his direction.

Leah and Ally ended up sitting beside each other on Chandelle's bed with Amber on his trainer's lap.

Honestly, all Leah wanted to do was go to bed. She was dead tired and not even all the night's excitement could keep her awake for much longer. However, she did have one thing she needed to do before going to sleep and that concerned Ally.

If she had more time, she would have done it in the morning but she had to face the facts: Ed was still out there and Leah was uncertain of how much time he had left. Ally was found possessed after two days, hungry and dehydrated. The human body couldn't go without water for about three days and that time was probably much lower when it concerned a kid. If Ed wasn't found soon, then he could easily die of dehydration before anyone got to him.

Ally must have been with Ed the night the tower went into lockdown. She had to know something. Leah knew the girl was traumatized (though she wasn't sure if it was because of the ghost or something else) and pushing might not get the best result, but Ed couldn't wait for much longer.

"What happened at Pokemon Tower?" Leah asked, looking at Ally.

But the girl turned her head away and said nothing.

Leah sighed and while wondering what to do, she started speaking her mind.

"Ed's still gone and there's weird ghosts coming out of Pokemon Tower. I don't know what's going on; no one does… Pokemon Tower is currently locked up. No one can get in or out. Apparently, this important guy named Fuji is in there, and you and Ed might have been in there too." She paused, wondering what else to say. "Also, there's this group called Team Rocket that's been hanging around. I don't know what they have to do with this, but they're here… Look, you're the only person who can tell us what's going on. I know you're… traumatized, but…"

"I- I don't… really remember," Ally said, stopping her ceaseless stroking of her Vulpix. Amber looked up with a whine and Ally scratched his head.

"Just… start from where you and Ed got to Lavender Town. Start from there."

"We got to Lavender… okay, I guess," Ally started quietly. "We went out looking for ghosts that night…"

"Why that night? Weren't you tired from the trip?"

"We wanted to catch a ghost-type fast so we could train it quicker. But we didn't find any. We only walked around Lavender. The next… we decided to go into Pokemon Tower."

"Isn't it restricted?"

"W- We snuck in, but we were caught by Mr. Fuji. But he was nice and let us wait around for a ghost."

"Something happened?"

"Some people showed up…"

"What did they look like?"

"They wore… all black."

Ally didn't look like she knew any more information on the people, so Leah asked, "Then what happened? After they showed up?"

"… I don't really remember," she said. "They… wanted something and attacked us, but we…" She trailed off, looking like she was about to cry. "Something… went wrong," she whispered. "Something…"

"What happened to Ed?"

"We got separated. I- I don't know what happened to him."

"What about you?

"… I can't remember anything," Ally said. "I- I remember parts of it. T- The battle. While we... Mr. Fuji defended us, but M- Marowak-"

A few tears slipped down her cheeks and her lips started to quiver.

Leah had no clue what to do. She had never been good at comforting people, especially when they were crying. Hesitantly, she put a hand on Ally's small shoulder and said, "You- Uh, it'll be okay. You're safe now."

"B- But M- Marowak-!" Ally started sobbing and to Leah's dismay, buried her face into Leah's shoulder. Putting her arms around her, Leah looked down at Amber (who was a bit miffed at being forced to jump off) from above Ally's head and gave the creature a pleading look.

She didn't know what to say to comfort her so Leah just said nothing and hoped her embrace would be good enough. Apparently, Ally had many pent up emotions as she just kept crying and crying. When she finally calmed down, she pulled away from Leah and sniffled, her face red and her eyes watery and shiny.

"Er, feeling a bit better?" Leah asked, making a mental note to change shirts as soon as possible.

Ally shook her head. "N- No," she said, her voice in a breathless whisper.

"… Can I ask one more question?" Leah said, feeing guilty. "You… don't have to, but-"

"W- What is it?" Ally asked, wiping her eyes with the bottom of her shirt.

"As far as you know, Ed never made it out of the tower?"

"I- I don't know. I was- W- We were at the top of the tower, something just… M- Marowak just… got up and then we were attacked by g- ghosts. I don't remember anything after that."

That was a bit confusing, but as far as Leah could tell, it was unlikely that Ed got out. If he had, then he should have been found by now, right? But that begged the question: how had Ally gotten out? They were both on the top floor and then Ally loses two days worth of memory. She supposed that Ally got possessed at that time (maybe), but then what? The ghost just took her out of the tower before the lockdown? Why? She supposed human bodies could make interesting shields against the sun and Pokemon like Rotom used objects so they could fight during the day, but…

Leah shook her head, frustrated. Things were so confusing. It didn't help that her body was demanding sleep. She desperately wanted to give in, but she couldn't until the problem was solved. And that problem was that Ed was still out there. She didn't want to suddenly see his dead body on the news. Would he be able to survive another night without food and maybe water? And that wasn't even considering that Pokemon Tower was the ghost's home base. Who said that the ghosts hadn't already…

Letting out a sigh, Leah glanced at Ally.

What was she supposed to do?

There was a knock on the door, breaking Leah out of her thoughts. She got up and opened it, revealing Ashley with her Zubat.

"Hi," the blond greeted.

"Uh, what are you doing here?" Leah asked, not that she wasn't happy for the distraction.

Ashley shrugged. "I'm sleeping here, aren't I?"

Oh, right.

Ashley slipped in past Leah and surveyed the room, her eyes pausing on Amber for a moment. However, she gravitated towards Sands and sat at the edge of Leah's bed, her Zubat flapping off her shoulder and taking a seat on the headboard.

"Hey, Sands," the blond said, peering at the Pokemon. "What-cha got there?"

Sands growled, his paws placed protectively around his Fire Stone.

"Don't touch the Fire Stone," Leah advised, knowing from personal experience. "He'll slash you."

"Your Pokemon are so weird," Ashley said, her attention drifting to Ally, who hadn't even looked up at her arrival. The blond turned to Leah.

"So, how is she?"

"… Could be better," Leah said cautiously. Why was she asking questions when Ally was right there?

"Hm." With that one question out of the way, Ashley turned her attention away from Ally and asked, "Do you think we'll be attacked tonight?"

"I don't know."

"I hope something's done about this soon," the blond said, sighing. "I really don't like these ghosts. I wonder what Chandelle is going to do with that ghost she caught."

"That can be decided after all this is done." Leah yawned. "Aren't you tired? Why are you still awake?"

Ashley looked around. "The room's kind of full. Besides, aren't you scared? I don't want to be woken up to screaming again. Or worse."

"We can keep our Pokemon out like last night."

"Yeah, but… Zu-Zu doesn't seem to really be good against ghosts and Sands can't do much without Foresight, right? And Chandelle's Rotom went nuts. I definitely don't want it in here with me."

That was a good point. Not to mention that Zee was in the infirmity. What were they going to do for the night? … Actually, a better question would be what were Ashley and Chandelle going to do. Leah had a feeling that she was going to have to sleep in the same room with Ally, who's Pokemon were decent fighters.

Damn, it was only now that Leah realized just how pathetic it was for five trainers (minus Ally) to have only eight useable Pokemon between them. Leah and Ashley had an excuse, but what was up with Chandelle, Zach, and Natalie? She got that trainers rarely carried around six Pokemon as they would have to feed them and give each of them attention, but wasn't it dangerous to travel around with such few Pokemon?

She really was starting to think that she should invest in a third Pokemon. She was still having Sandslash problems, but having a good variety could keep this situation from happening again. Not that she knew what Pokemon she could capture in the area. There were grass-types and flying-types everywhere, but she wanted a more uncommon Pokemon. She didn't want a Pidgey or a Bellsprout; she'd rather have something like a Mankey or maybe even a Spearow if she found a good one.

Hmm, having a Fearow would be kind of cool. They were pretty big and ripped apart Pokemon with their beaks. Maybe not as fast and cool as a Pidgeot, but they were certainly intimidating-

The lights flickered.

Leah looked up, mirroring Ally and Ashley. When the lights didn't flicker again, Leah let out a breath only for her heart to jump into her throat when they did it again. Her sudden hopes that it was only a burning out bulb were shattered when the bathroom light also started to turn off and on, with increasing frequency as the seconds ticked past.

'Oh, don't you dare,' Leah warned the lights as they flickered again, feeling her mood plummet. 'Don't you dare-'

The lights seemed to be trying their best to stay lit, but they got dimmer and dimmer until with one last solitary flicker of light, they, along with the whole Pokemon Center, went dark.


-


A/N: At least the chapter didn't take five months this time, right guys? ;_;

I was going to update a few weeks ago, but then I suddenly realized that I had an essay due in three days that I hadn't even started and as soon as I got that done I was ambushed by exams. The chapter was much longer than even this, but I moved a scene and a half to the next chapter, so hopefully it won't take as long for me to update as this time.

Thanks for being so patient with me, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!